Dependence
by zoey04
Summary: Duo is permanently blinded because of an accident Heero blames himself for. Duo POV. yaoi, so don't like, don't read. please r&r.
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! New story! I really really really liked writing this one. I have know idea why, but I'm obsessed with blind people *don't ask me why I just am* I have that other blind one I wrote, but I like this one lots better. I really wanted to write another blind fic so I did. This didn't have any plot to it when I started it. It was a plot what plot fic where duo was blind. A bloodstained brick with a plot strapped to it hit me upside the head after I had already written a bunch of it, so i added it in. So if it seems like it's just BAM PLOT that's why XD Anyway... I'll quit rambling on and let you read. These chapters are actually really long but there are only... 5 I think. Maybe 6... Okay now I'll really stop rambling XD Enjoy.**

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Chapter 1

It's been about a month since the failed mission that took my eye sight away from me. I had gotten used to the blindness quick, and life continued on as if nothing had changed, but it was just so different not being able to see anything. The doctor said that I should stay in my apartment for about four to six weeks in order to get fully accustomed to my disability before going back out in the world. That was fine by me, but I haven't seen any of my friends or coworkers since the accident. Well, technically I haven't _seen_ anyone… The only person that has come by is a nurse to check on me a few times. I missed everyone; Quatre, Trowa, Sally, even Une and WuFei. But most of all, I really missed Heero. Though I'd never tell him, or anyone, that. I was fine with not seeing my fellow ex-Gundam pilots, knowing I'd see them again in a month or so, but with Heero, it was much too long.

I'm sitting on my couch now with my computer in my lap, finishing some files out of sheer boredom. After the doctor gave everyone the news that I'd never be able to see again, Une sent me a new phone and laptop that are voice interactive. It took me a while to get used to verbally completing my files as opposed to writing or typing them, but eventually I had gotten used to it.

My cell rings from somewhere on the couch next to me and I hit the one of the only buttons on my computer, telling it to stop transferring my words to the file. I fumbled for my phone and finally found it, opening it and holding it to my ear.

"Maxwell," I answer.

"Hello, Mr. Maxwell," my doctor replies in her usual cheery voice. "How are you feeling today?"

"Okay," I tell her.

"You sound annoyed. Is everything okay?" she asks.

"Yeah. I just got turned around last night and got up on the wrong side of the bed. I've been completely backwards all day. I'm sure I have a bump on my forehead from the multiple walls I've run into," I complain.

"Where's your cane?" she asks me.

"I don't use it in the house. It's right by the door for when I want to go out," I tell her.

"You're not supposed to go out, Duo," she chastises.

I sigh. She only uses my first name if she's admonishing me. "Yes, mother."

I hear her chuckle, then she sobers and says, "I actually have a reason for calling besides to check in on you. I just wanted to let you know that we're allowing you to go back to work."

"Really?" I ask, sitting up a little straighter. It wasn't that I was all that eager to go back to the thing that caused me to lose my vision in the first place, but that I'll be back with Heero.

"Yes. But!" she adds quickly before I can get too excited. "But, straight to work, straight home. It's easy enough getting lost with your eyes. Imagine how it'll be if you can't see at all. I'll be calling Commander Une and asking her if she could send someone to get you and bring you home."

I groan. "I'm a big boy, I can walk myself to work. It's three blocks right out of the front door of my apartment building, six blocks left, three blocks right, another eight left, then bingo, I'm there."

"Well then you'll have someone to walk with now, won't you? I have to go back to work, but I'll call you again tomorrow night just to make sure you made it to work and back without incident."

"Yes, mother," I repeat with a sigh before she hangs up.

I close my phone and put it in my pocket. I click a button on my watch that tells me what time it is. It's already nine thirty? I swear it was only noon an hour or so ago… I exhale sharply and shut down my computer. Standing, I walk the memorized number of steps and turns until I'm in the kitchen. After the accident, I had to completely reorganize everything. I had brail labels put in my fridge, on my cupboards, and in the pantry, among other things around the house. I had never been so organized in my life. That had to have been the biggest adjustments, learning to read brail, then staying organized enough where it came in handy.

After I eat, I take a shower, brush out my hair, then go to bed. I make sure to reset my alarm to get up for work tomorrow, then close my eyes and am soon asleep.

At six the following morning, I roll over and grope for my alarm clock. After pushing about five different buttons, I find the snooze button. I groan and sit up. I wasn't used to getting up this early. I had never gotten up before ten after I was banished to by house to recover.

I find my old uniform and am just about to leave the house at about half past six when there is a knock on my door. I sigh. So my doc really did have Une assign me an escort. I open the door, grab my cane, and step out into the hallway with whoever is with me. The tapping of my cane is the only sound either of us makes as we walk all the way to the elevator. Aside from our breathing, but I can't tell who it is just by the sound of their breath. Whoever it is breathes very quietly, though. It's usually easy for me to hear someone breathing, but his or her breath is much quieter.

"You know, I have no way of knowing who you are unless you actually tell me," I sigh in exasperation, waving a hand in front of my unseeing eyes as the elevator doors squeak open.

"Oh, right," a very familiar voice murmurs. "It's me."

I freeze, nearly tripping over the crack between the floor and elevator. I'd recognize that monotone anywhere. It takes me a second to regain my composure, but then I'm launching myself in the direction of the voice.

"Heero!" I nearly squeal, pulling him into a one armed hug.

But then I clear my throat and step back from him as I feel a blush burn my cheeks.

"Sorry… I haven't seen you in a while. Well… I haven't seen anyone, but you know what I mean… How have things been?"

"Quiet without you around," he says in the monotone I've come to know so well.

"Really?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

It's quiet, so assume he just nodded.

"I'm assuming you just nodded?" I hint, looking in his general direction.

"Oh, sorry, yeah," he apologizes.

I laugh and turn my black vision back to what I assume is the front of the elevator. It's almost uncomfortably silent as the elevator continues down to the ground floor.

"So…" I say, trying to break the silence. "How have you been?"

"Good. How are you holding up?" he asks. Did I just hear a hint of concern in his monotone? No, I must've been imagining it… Too bad I can't see his face. I was always really good at reading subtle emotions in his eyes.

"I'm doing okay. It's definitely a lot to get used to, but I'm getting the hang of it," I shrug.

The elevator doors open and we step out into the lobby. Heero opens the door for me and we take a right on the sidewalk. I hadn't been outside since that mission. This was so… different. I could hear the cars and the birds and the people, but I couldn't see them. It was so unbelievably frustrating. I was afraid of tripping over something my cane would miss, or bump into someone that wasn't paying attention. I took a deep breath and started off down the sidewalk.

Everything went smoothly until we were two blocks from headquarters. My cane must've missed him or something, because I suddenly slam into a man standing on the sidewalk.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" he shouts at me.

"Sorry… I—"

"How about you pay more attention," Heero growls at him, cutting me off.

"Oh…" the man murmurs. "Sorry… I didn't notice that you are… sorry," he says quickly, then I can hear his shoes continue off in the opposite direction.

"I hate always running into things. And people," I growl under my breath as I continue to walk.

Heero takes my arm and turns me around, then releases me. I sigh in defeat and follow the sound of his shoes and quiet breathing.

"It wasn't your fault. He just needed to pay more attention," Heero reassures me.

"Thanks," I murmur.

It's quiet again until we get to headquarters. I don't like it. I haven't seen Heero in a month and yet he has nothing to say. I pout to myself as Heero leads me into the building. I was expecting a little bit of a reunion, but not the crowd waiting for me. So many people are hugging me and saying things and shaking my hand, it is overwhelming.

"Wait wait wait…" I interrupt. "Names before you hug me, please," I joke.

There's a round of laughter, then a familiar voice says, "There's the Duo we all know. No disability can take away that sense of humor."

"Hey Quatre," I smile, opening my arms.

He hugs me tightly, then steps back.

"We've all missed you so much," he tells us. "Even Heero."

At the mention of that name, I notice that there's no one breathing quietly next to me. I jerk a thumb in the direction he was in. "He left, didn't he."

"Yeah. As soon as you guys walked through the door, he didn't stop walking. Shame on him. He was supposed to take you all the way up to Une's office."

"Don't worry bout it. I can walk myself," I tell him, moving through the crowd in the direction I thought was Une's office.

"Uhm, Duo?" Quatre calls after me. "Other way."

I frown, turning around and heading in the opposite direction. I manage to get up to the fifth floor where I know Une's office is, but after wandering the halls for an hour, I finally stop before I get even more lost. There should be brail on the signs on the walls, but feeling around the walls, I can't find them. I have my phone, but I don't want to call anyone and admit defeat.

I hear footsteps and move to the wall to let whoever it is pass. But they stop right in front of me.

"Is everything alright?" Heero's voice asks.

"I'm… uh… looking for Une's office," I answer.

"Turn around and it's the third door on the right after four hallways," he answers, then I hear him walk away in the opposite direction.

"Thanks," I murmur, even though he's out of earshot.

I turn around and walk how far he told me to before I come to what I hope is Une's office. I knock on the door and wait for her to answer.

"What do you want?" she snaps and my pronounced hearing can pick out the sound of her sighing.

"It's me," I answer.

"Oh, Duo! Come in!" she exclaims.

I smile and find the doorknob. She greets me with a hug and leads me to a chair.

"I'm so glad to have you back. Everyone has missed you so much," she tells me and I try to look as close as I can in the direction of her eyes.

"I'm glad to be back too. But… what are you going to have me do? I can't exactly take up my old job again…" I frown.

"Well we'll see," she says with a hint of something in her tone. "But for now, until you get better used to working with your disability, I'll have you assist an agent with file work, gathering intel, helping with training, etcetera."

"Okay. Which agent?" I ask. That doesn't sound too bad.

"Well I have a few that would really benefit from having an assistant. Why don't you choose and I'll ask if they want one. Both Agent Barton and WuFei could use help, also Sally. Oh, and Agent Yuy too."

The second she says that last name, my decision is made.

"I guess I'll pair up with Heero," I tell her, trying not to sound as excited as I feel.

"That's who I thought you would pick," she says and I can hear the smile in her voice. "Let me give him a call."

She picks up her phone and I can hear the click of the buttons as she dials Heero's number. I hear the click of the phone back in the cradle and assume that she had put it on speaker. That assumption is confirmed when Heero answers and I can hear his voice loud and clear.

"Yuy," his monotone answers.

"I'm sending Agent Maxwell down to you right now. I know you've been bugging me for a partner, so I found you one," Une tells him.

It's deafeningly silent for a moment before Heero responds, "Fine."

It sounds as if he doesn't want me to be his partner. There is hesitation and uncertainty to his voice, like he's only agreeing because he'd never argue with Une. My heart drops into my stomach. Why doesn't he want me as his partner? Does he not want to have to watch over me? Does he think of me as a burden? I feel tears prickle in my unseeing eyes, but force them back so Une doesn't see them.

"He'll be down in a few minutes," Une responds and hangs up. "Do you know how to get to Yuy's office?"

"I can probably figure it out," I tell her, standing.

"Take the elevator to your right when you leave the room, then turn left out of the elevator and he's two down on your right. If you come to cubicles, you've gone too far," she explains.

I nod and turn for the door. Out in the hallway, a tear manages to escape my defenses. I'm suddenly angry at myself as I harshly wipe it away. What is my problem? So what if Heero's a little hesitant to take me as his partner? He probably thinks I'm being sent to him to baby sit me. I'll just have to show him that I can fully take care of myself, then hopefully he'll warm to the fact we'll be working together.

I compose myself, then follow her directions as best I can and knock on what I hope is Heero's door.

"Come in," his monotone calls back to me and I know I'm in the right place.

I enter the room and just stand there, not sure what to do. I can hear the clicks of the keyboard and if I listen close enough, I can pick out the very, very, slight difference between the keys' sounds. I can almost make out what he's typing. The silence is uncomfortable as I simply stand there, picking at the handle of my cane.

"I sent some evidence down to the lab yesterday and told him to put a rush on it. Can you go see what's taking him so long?" Heero finally asks.

"Sure," I sigh, turning and heading back to the elevator.

Once I find the lab, I follow the sound of our single forensic scientist is making as he bustles around.

"I don't have it yet!" he shouts at me.

"Sorry, I'll just—"

"Oh, it's you. Sorry, everyone has been bugging me for their tests, but I have so much stuff I need to do. So how are you, Duo? Everything alright?" he asks me, his voice getting louder, telling me he is getting closer.

"Oh that's okay. I actually am down here for results. Heero sent me," I tell him.

"You've seen Heero since you got back?" he asks, sounding surprised.

"Yeah…" I answer, confused. "Why wouldn't I have?"

"Has he talked to you?"

"About what?" I frown.

"Never mind, he obviously hasn't. His tests are running as we speak. They'll be done in about… half an hour. Do you mind helping me while we wait? I could really use it."

"Me?" I ask, allowing him to change the subject.

"I don't see anyone else in the room with us. You'll be fine. I'm not worried," he reassures me.

I nod. "What would you like me to do?"

"On the table to your left is a table with a box of evidence from Agent Walker's murder scene. It just needs to be sorted right now. You'll be able to sort by feel. Fibers and fingerprint tapes in one pile and everything else in the other."

I nod and turn towards the table.

"Careful sticking your hand in there. I'm pretty sure there is a knife in there somewhere."

I nod again and begin to sort the evidence bags in the box. The whole time I'm down there helping our forensic scientist, I'm thinking about what he had said about Heero. It was almost as if he thought Heero wanted to tell me something… But if he did he wouldn't told me. Heero's not exactly the type to keep back what he's thinking if he thinks it's important. At least I hope he trust me enough not to keep back his thoughts from me.

After about half an hour, one of the machines behind me beeps and Bobby hands me the results.

"Thanks," I tell him.

"No, thank you for your help," he says as he turns away.

I find my way back to Heero's office, but hesitate at the door, still thinking about what our forensics guy said. I brush it off quickly, opening the door and walking in. It was nothing. I was over thinking it.

"Where were you?" Heero asks the second I'm in the door. It almost sounded like he was… worried?

"Getting your test results," I answer, holding up the papers.

He takes them and I can hear him flipping through them.

"Crap…" he murmurs, then sits back down in his chair.

I find the chair in front of his desk and sit down.

"So… what's the case?" I ask him.

"Triple homicide. Two mid-thirty year olds and their two year old daughter," he answers, his voice cold.

I frown and look down at my feet. Those were always the worst cases; when a child was murdered.

"What would you like me to do? I'm here to help," I tell him.

I can almost hear the tension from him in the air. It takes him a moment before he answers.

"Could you go get us lunch?"

I sigh and try to hide the disappointed look on my face. I nod and stand up. As I leave the room, I can hear Heero let out a quiet sigh that I'm sure he didn't think I could hear. I realize as I'm walking down the hall that Heero isn't trying to baby sit me like I had assumed he thought was his job, but he was actually pushing me away. He was sending me out to go do stuff as opposed to watching over me the whole time. I liked that he wasn't hovering and trusted me to do things on my own, but I didn't like that it seemed he was avoiding me.

That was what the rest of the day consisted of; him sending me out to get a file, or check on evidence tests, or him running out for a meeting. We were hardly ever in the same room together for more than a few minutes.

Once it was time to go home, I waited in Heero's office for him to finish in his meeting. But it wasn't Heero who entered the room. The footsteps were too light.

"You're not Heero," I point out, not bothering to turn my head in the direction of the footsteps.

"No, I'm not," Quatre's voice tells me. "How'd you know?"

"You're footsteps are lighter than Heero's," I respond, standing up and turning to face him.

"That's incredible," Quatre chuckled.

I shrug. "I'd rather have my eyes. So where is Heero?"

"He's busy so he asked me to walk you home, but I have a debriefing in five minutes so Trowa will take you," he tells me.

"I can go by myself. It's really no big deal," I tell him as we walk out into the hallway.

"Heero told me you'd say that, and he also told me to make sure you didn't go home alone," he tells me.

"Why does he care," I find myself mumbling. "He avoids me like the plague all day, yet he cares enough to make sure I have an escort? What the hell is wrong with him?"

"He didn't tell you?" Quatre asks and I can tell he's surprised.

"Tell me what?" I exclaim, throwing my free hand up into the air and turning on him.

"You should ask him that," is all he says.

I exhale sharply, but don't ague with him. He walks me all the way down to front room to where Trowa is waiting for us. Well at least I assume its Trowa. He doesn't say a thing as we leave headquarters and head down the street. The only signs that he's actually there is the sound of his breathing and footfalls. But honestly, I'm not surprised. Trowa's never been very much of a talker. Just like Heero.

But I have to say, I don't mind. I need to think. What was it Heero had to tell me? I was so confused. I hadn't seen Heero in so long and yet he's pushing me away. I just want to catch up with him, continue our partnership like it had been before the accident. Apparently he didn't care for me as much as I did for him.

I'm so deep in thought that I don't even realize I'm in front of my apartment building. Trowa stops me by grabbing my shirt.

"We're here," he tells me.

"Thanks, I got it from here," I tell him.

He must've nodded or something because he leaves without another word. I head up into my room and go straight to bed, even though it's only about eight thirty. I had forgotten my doctor was going to call and woke up about an hour later to the sound of the phone ringing. I jump out of bed and run right into the door frame as I leave the room.

"Ouch, crap!" I cuss, rubbing my forehead as I fumble for the phone. "What?" I snap into the receiver.

"Oh, someone's in a mood," my doctor chuckles.

"Sorry. I was asleep and ran into the door frame when I tried to find the phone."

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah. Head hurts though," I reply.

I hear here laugh. "So how was work? Did everything go okay? No problems?"

"Other than getting lost a few times, everything was okay."

"That's good to hear. Are you going back tomorrow?"

"Well Une didn't fire me, so I guess so."

"What job did she give you?"

"I'm helping Heero for now. But that's just until I get more used to being in work without my eyes."

"That's great," she tells me. "Well I have an ambulance coming in right now so I have to go. Don't push yourself too hard. If anything goes wrong, call me immediately."

"Yes, mother," I sigh and hang up.

My doctor had been a therapist for blind people before she became a trauma physician, so when I became her patient, she was a lot closer to me than her other patients. She not only helped me while I was hospitalized, but helped me figure out how to cope with being blind. She picked up therapy again just to work with me. I was so grateful to her for it too. She was the only one there for me since no one else was allowed to be with me. I really wish I knew what she looked like…

I feel my way back into the bedroom, then crawled into the covers. I'm asleep quickly.

…

I go through my routine in the morning and waited for Heero to come pick me up again. I checked my watch about every two minutes, much more eager to see Heero than I should be. I'm waiting right by the door when there is finally a knock. I open the door and my heart drops, my smile fading. I can tell it's not Heero. It's just not his… presence. The breathing is too loud, the scent too… sweet? I'm guessing it's Quatre.

"Hey Quatre," I force a smile. "Where's Heero?"

"How'd you know it was me?" he asks and there is a smile in his tone.

"You breathe louder than him. He breathes a lot quieter than you. Also you smell different."

"Really? That's so cool."

I shrug, then follow Quatre down the hallway. Once we get in the elevator, I turn towards where I think Quatre is.

"You didn't answer my question," I tell him.

He thinks for a moment, then remembers the question. "He said he was busy so he asked me to come get you," he answers.

I nod and try to hide my disappointment.

"Talk to him," Quatre suddenly tells me.

"I don't know what to say. I don't even know what the problem is," I sigh in exasperation.

"I'll talk to him. He should've told you yesterday, but I had a feeling he'd hide it."

I nod, following him out of the elevator. Once we get to headquarters, Quatre takes me all the way up to Heero's office. I can tell he's not in there before we even open the door.

"I'll go find him," Quatre tells me, then leaves me alone in the office.

I tap over to the chair and sit down, waiting for Heero to come back. It was a good hour and a half before someone finally opens the door. By the sound of his footsteps, I know its Heero.

"Hey Heero," I greet, not turning my head in his direction.

"Hi," is all he says as he walks around me and sits in his chair, starting up his computer.

I'm expecting him to say something, anything, but he remains silent, typing away on his computer. I keep quiet though too, afraid of what to say. I don't know what the problem is so I don't know what will make it better or worse.

That is how it remains for the rest of the week. Heero and I say a good three words to each other the entire time. And tonight is the first time he's walking me home because he couldn't find someone else to go with me. When we get outside my room, Heero turns to leave, but I grab his shirt. I was tired of him avoiding me. I wanted to figure out what the issue was. Now.

"What's the problem?" I ask him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he responds.

"Bullshit," I snap and he tenses under my hand. "You've been avoiding me like… like this is contagious," I tell him, waving my hand in front of my eyes. "I promise you won't catch my blind."

I hear him sigh, but he doesn't say anything. I exhale in frustration and let go of his arm, turning to go into my apartment.

"It was my fault," he suddenly says before I can slam the door in his face.

I stop and turn back to face him. I don't say anything, waiting for him to elaborate.

"The accident that made you blind… it was my fault," he says and the guilt is thick in his voice. "That's why… that's why I've been avoiding you. Every time I see you, I'm reminded of what I did to you…"

"It wasn't your fault, Heero," I tell him, my voice just above a whisper. I couldn't believe what he was saying. "It was an accident."

"I made a rookie mistake, Duo. And it took away your eyes."

"Why are you so convinced it was your fault?" I ask him.

"I forgot the placement of one of the sensors. I tripped it. That's why the building blew up in your face," he says in a quiet voice. "If you had died… I don't know what I would've done. And you came so close…"

I feel the tip of his fingers trace down one of the long scars on my cheek. My breath catches in my throat and a shiver runs down my spine. But his fingers are gone just as quickly as they appeared.

"I'm sorry," he says quickly, then turns to leave.

"It's okay. I don't blame you," I tell his retreating footsteps.

His footsteps stop for a moment, then continue to the elevator.

I close the door and lock it, then just stand there for a moment. I can still feel the tingle of his fingers on my cheek and find myself smiling. So it wasn't anything I was doing. He was avoiding me because he felt guilty. That made me so much better. It meant that he cared about me. Maybe I wasn't the only one who liked my partner more than partners? I really hoped so.

I ate dinner, finished some files Heero had emailed me, then went to bed. All this week I had been eager for the weekend so I could get away from the office, from Heero. But now, now that I knew what the problem with me and Heero was, now that everything seemed fixed between us, I couldn't wait until Monday.

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**So? You like? I hope so... cause I like XD Please review! Reviews help what little self esteem I have XD Oh and I don't really like the title by the way... it just kinda popped into my head and I couldn't think of anything else, so yeah XP And also I apologize if the author notes are weird or if there are too many lines or if its all funky... my computer has teamed up with my internet to sabotage everything i do... so yeah anyway, thanks for reading XD**

**And right now I have another fic finished, I just need ShinigamiDeathscytheSan to tell me just how crappy the ending is... then I'll fix it and post it, so yeah... In the meantime I'll try to post these chapters once a day. Until tomorrow, bye :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews guys! *feels so loved* I'm glad you all seem to like it :) Well here's the next chapter for ya. Enjoy :)**

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Chapter 2

A knocking on my door woke me the following morning. It takes me a moment to figure out that that sound is, but then I'm up and hurrying to the door the next moment. I run into a chair on my way to the door and cuss loudly, rubbing my shin. The worst part of being blind was running into everything. I probably had bruises everywhere.

I open the door and hesitate, listening to the quiet breathing.

"Heero?" I suddenly feel very uncomfortable, standing in front of him wearing only my boxers, all my scars from that accident exposed. All the scars he feels responsible for.

"Uhm, yeah. I was just wondering if you were coming into work today. Well, obviously not. I'm sorry if I woke you," he tells me, his voice completely monotone.

"Oh, it's okay. Do you want me to go in today? Cause I can if you need me."

"I could use some help. My killer killed two more people last night."

"Oh… of course. Uhm… let me get dressed really quick. Come in, make yourself at home," I tell him, turning towards my room. "But don't move anything! I know exactly where everything is."

"Alright."

I head into my room and close the door behind me. I'm smiling to myself as I find my uniform and pull it on. I run a brush through my hair quickly and start to braid it as I head back out into the front room. I tie off my braid and listen for where Heero is. I can't hear him.

"Heero?"

"Yes?" he replies from right behind me.

I jump, spinning around and nearly tripping over something. Heero's hand under my arm keeps me from falling.

"I'm ready to go," I tell him.

He releases me and we walk to the door. I grab my cane and Heero holds the door open for me. As we head to headquarters, Heero remains silent. I was hoping now that the air had been cleared between us, Heero would be a little more talkative, but I guess that was too much to ask for.

"So who are the new victims?" I ask him.

"Two teenagers in the park."

"That prick. What pushes a guy to kill kids?" I growl.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I want to know."

But that's all I can get him to say. He doesn't send me off, or skip out to go to a meeting though when we get to headquarters. He leads me up to his office and puts me to work making phone calls to the lab and helping him sort through evidence.

Two to three hours later find us arguing suspects and timelines, trying to figure out exactly what happened. Heero had put pictures of the crime scene and possible suspects up on his board and was writing notes and timelines on empty spaces. He verbally went over everything for me though.

"Have you brought in anyone for questioning yet?" I ask him.

"There was one witness, but other than that, we haven't had enough evidence to bring in any suspects."

"Can you read me the witness interview?" I ask him.

I hear him flip through a few papers, then he started to read off the interview. I didn't catch anything in the interview though that was helpful.

"Did you guys get a sketch?"

"No, she just saw him enter the building. She didn't see his face."

"But it's an apartment complex, so there should be security footage, right?" I ask.

"They cameras had been out for about a week before the attack."

That's how the rest of the day continues. I ask question and get up to speed, then we bounce situations and possibilities off each other. At the end of the day, we're completely out of ideas. We've even eliminated the long shot options.

Heero exhales and I hear him stand up.

"I'll walk you home if you want me to," Heero says.

I nod and follow him out of the office and down the hall. We talk a little more about the case, but mostly it's quiet. When we get to my apartment, I unlock the door and turn to face him.

"Thank you," I tell him.

"No problem," he replies.

"Well, yeah thanks for walking me home, but I mean thank you for telling me what was on you mind. I didn't like that you were avoiding me."

"I'm sorry," he apologizes.

"Don't be sorry. Just… don't hide things like that from me anymore."

I assume he nodded.

"I'll let you sleep in tomorrow. I'll probably just work on the case at home."

"Well, if you want you can come over here and we can work on it," I tell him.

"Alright, if you don't mind."

"Of course not. Does nine sound good?"

I assume he nodded.

"Heero, you have to talk," I laugh. "I can't hear a nod."

"Oh, sorry. Yeah that sounds good."

"Okay. Night," I tell him, then walk into my apartment.

I close the door and listen for the sound of his footsteps leaving. He stands there for a moment, then he starts to leave. I smile and head into the bedroom.

…

I'm up at six the next morning. I quickly take a shower and get something to eat before Heero shows up. I pull up an empty file on my computer and enter in what I remember of Heero's case.

I wait eagerly for Heero to come, and just before nine, there is a knock on the front door. I turn off the voice recorder on the computer and hurry to the door. I let Heero in and he follows me over to the couch. I sit down and feel the couch to make sure there's nothing in the way so he can sit down. He sits down right next to me, so close our elbows are nearly touching.

We spend all morning going over the case. I only get up to make us lunch, then later dinner. It's got to be about midnight when I hear the sound of Heero's pen being thrown down onto the file and feel the shift of weight in the couch as he leans forward. He sighs deeply, obviously frustrated.

"We'll get this guy, Heero," I tell him. "He'll make a mistake and we'll catch him."

"Yeah, but how many more kids have to die?" he growls, then stands up.

"We'll get him," I promise him. "What time is it?"

"About 1:30," he responds. "Sorry, I stayed a lot longer than I thought I would."

"I don't mind. And if you want you can stay the night and walk to work tomorrow," I offer. "The guess bedroom is to the left of mine. If you want to stay feel free to use it."

I get up and head over to my room. I'm so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. After stripping down to my boxers, I crawl in bed and go to sleep.

…

When I wake up the following morning to the sound of my alarm clock, I instantly get up and look for Heero. The guest bedroom door is open and he's not in there. He's not taking a shower and he's not in the family room, so I walk out into the kitchen. I hear the sounds of someone rustling paper and know that he must be reading the paper.

"I keep forgetting to call them and tell them not to give me papers anymore," I say as I walk past him and to the fridge. "It's not like I can read them anymore."

"Hn," is all he responds.

"What do you want for breakfast?" I ask him.

"I already made us breakfast," he tells me.

That's when I recognize the smell of eggs and toast coming from the table. I walk over and sit down.

"Thanks. Did you put everything back exactly where you found it?" I ask, raising an eyebrow in his general direction.

"Yes," he answers.

"Well someone isn't very talkative today," I tease. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes," he responds and I sigh, shaking my head.

"So… what are we going to do today?" I ask.

"We're going to go look at the crime scenes and see if we can't find anything."

"Well I might not be the best of help today then. I'll most likely just get in the way."

"Don't worry about it. You'll be fine."

"If you say so," I shrug.

I eat quickly, then get up and think for a moment.

"Do you see my sunglasses anywhere?" I ask Heero.

There's no answer, but a moment later Heero places them in my hand.

"Thanks," I tell him, putting them on.

"Why do you need them?" he asks.

"Even though I can't see, my eyes are still… sensitive, I guess you can call it. Just walking to headquarters is fine, but since we're gonna be outside all day, I want to wear them," I answer, finding my cane.

"Oh," is all he says.

We leave the apartment and Heero leads me to his truck. I guess old habits die hard because, even though I can't see anything, I'm 'staring' out the window. After about fifteen minutes, Heero stops the car.

"We're here," Heero tells me.

I climb out and tap my way to the front of the truck, but not sure where to go next. Heero is suddenly next to me and he takes my wrist and leads me into a building. This must be where the first victims were murdered because the young couple was killed in a park. I think it's a house. Heero takes me with him through a door and into a carpeted room. He doesn't release me though as he stops and takes a look around.

"Notice anything out of order?" he asks me, moving us further into the room.

"If there is I wouldn't see it," I remind him.

"You don't use just your eyes to investigate a crime scene," he tells me, releasing my wrist.

I nod and move to a wall. "Prints have been dusted for, right? I can touch things?"

"Yes," he answers.

I feel along the walls and surfaces, not really sure what I was looking for. What would I be able to find that a forensic team with eyes couldn't? I wondered if Heero could smell the scent of blood and gunpowder though. Or was that just me? I follow the sent of blood to the bed in the center of the room.

"Whose room is this?" I ask Heero.

"The parents," he answers from across the room.

"And they were killed in the bed," I observe. "Wait… Only one was killed in the bed…."

"How'd you know that?" Heero asks, his voice much closer.

"Because the smell of blood is strong here, but also strong over…" I follow the scent to the other side of the room to an empty area, "over here."

"How do you do that?" he asks me.

"All my senses are really advanced to make up for my lack of vision. You should know this Heero," I chastise. "I'm sure you did your research on this stuff during the war."

"Yeah, but I didn't realize just how advanced it got. You can actually smell the blood?"

"Not strongly, but there must've been a lot of blood here since I can pick it out. I can also smell gun powder here, but not over there," I realize.

We hadn't really gone over this scene as much as the couple in the park. I didn't know what happened here other than the killer killed the parents, then the child. But, I was able to put all of it together.

"I think he… he stabbed or strangled one of them and woke the other, so he shot the other as they tried to escape. Is that right?"

"He cut the husbands throat and shot the wife in the back as she tried to escape," Heero elaborates.

"Did you find the casing or bullet?"

"No, we think the killer took them with him."

I kneel down and run my fingers through the thick carpet. I feel around the carpet, feeling for anything that our forensics guy might've missed. Suddenly, my finger runs over something sharp, cutting my finger.

"Ouch, shit!" I cuss, shoving my hand in my pocket to keep it from contaminating anything.

"What? What's wrong?" Heero asks me.

I pick up the culprit and hold it out.

"What is it? Feels like a…"

"Bullet casing…" Heero finishes.

Heero holds out a bag, probably an evidence bag, and I drop it in.

"How did I find that when Bobby couldn't?" I ask him.

"Told you that you don't need your eyes to do detective work. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Take me to the kid's room," I tell him.

"Uh, I don't think that's such a good idea," he says, worry in his tone.

"Why?"

"I… I don't want to put you though how that little girl died."

"If you want me to help, then you'll have to show me the whole scene. I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

I hear him exhale, then he takes my wrist and leads me out of the room and down the hall into another room. He releases me and I head over to where the blood scent is the strongest, which is on the bed.

"There was a lot of blood…" I point out. "How… How old was she again?"

"Two."

I frown and push my senses to their max.

"There's no gunpowder…" I observe.

"No. I wish it had been that quick," Heero murmurs.

"There's a lot of blood…"

"Yeah, there was."

"I don't smell anything else. How did she die?"

"He… he stabbed her six times, non-fatally, then he slit her throat, but he didn't cut deep enough, so it took her a few hours to bleed out," he answers, his voice completely monotone.

The hand holding my cane handle tightens and I fist the bleeding hand in my pocket. This guy really was a prick. I didn't want to smell all that blood anymore, so I turned, but didn't know where the door was.

"Can you take me out of here?" I ask Heero.

He's next to me in the next moment and his hand takes my arm and leads me out of the room. He doesn't stop there though and takes me out of the house, but I really don't care. I just want to go home. I think Heero knows that because he leads me to the car and starts it.

"Are you alright?" Heero asks me.

"Yeah. I just don't get how people can kill kids like that. I mean she was two. What did she ever do to deserve that? She had her whole life ahead of her." I feel my eyes starting to water and I quickly wipe the tears away.

I feel the tips of Heero's fingers on the back of my hand. "Just… don't think about it for a little while. I'll take you home and tell Une to excuse you for the rest of the day."

My hand tingles from where his fingers are touching me. But then he pulls his hand away and I find myself wishing he hadn't. Heero drives me back to my apartment and even walks me up to my door. I pull off my sunglasses and turn to face him.

"Thanks," I tell him. "Would you like to come in?"

"I would, but I should get back to work," he tells me.

I nod, "Okay, call me if you need anything."

I reach out and find his shoulder, then pull him into a one armed hug. I don't know why, but I needed that. And it helped that Heero returned the embrace. I gave him a smile before I turned and headed into my apartment.

I walk over and sat down on the couch, rubbing at my eyes. One thing about being blind, when you get an image in your head, it's that much harder to get it out. I hoped the images I created of that little girl being killed wouldn't be there long…

I pulled my computer in front of me and turned it on, hoping to do something to get my mind off of that scene. I also turned on music and turned the volume up loud, though it probably wasn't that loud, just to me.

After about half an hour, I suddenly feel exhausted. I don't know why, but I just have no energy left. Today was a stressful morning, but I didn't think it was that stressful. I put my computer on the coffee table and lay down on the couch. I'm just going to lie down for a little bit, I tell myself. I kept the voice recorder on my computer on so that I could still work on the files.

My phone ringing startles me awake and I sit up quickly. I shut off the voice recorder, then reach for the phone.

"Maxwell," I answer groggily.

"Hey Duo, its Heero. Do you mind coming in? We got a break in the case. We ran this guy's MO through the database and it got six matches to open cases all over the country," Heero's voice tells me.

"He's murdered six other people?" I ask, fully awake now.

"Murdered six other times. Each time there were at least two victims."

"Damn…" I murmur. "Okay, I'll be there in a minute."

"Do you want me to come get you?"

"No, it's alright."

"Are you sure?" he presses. "Because I can come get you…"

"I'll be fine, Heero. I'm a big boy, I can walk myself."

"Alright. I'll see you in a few minutes," he tells me, but I can tell he's not too thrilled about me walking alone, which makes me smile.

I hang up and turn off my computer, then find my cane and leave. What I thought would be an easy walk over to headquarters actually turned out to be harder than I thought. I'm waiting for the crosswalk to let me walk when a group of teenagers grab my cane right from my hand and shove me to the ground. I hear their laughter and footsteps running away as I sit there on the ground. I search for my cane, hoping they left it behind. No such luck. Cursing, I get myself to my feet. I don't need the cane, I tell myself as I cross the crosswalk. I'll just step lightly and feel with my hands.

Well there is a reason blind people need aids such as canes. I trip over the curb at the other end of the crosswalk, nearly falling flat on my face. Then, I get a little off course and run right into the side of the building on that corner. I must've got turned around too because I don't recognize where I am. By now I should be at the start of that fourth block where there is a bakery that always smells like freshly baked bread. All I smell is garbage. Crap.

I turn around and walk in the opposite direction. I walk straight, trying not to look like a complete idiot by flailing my arms around me. I get to a curb and step down, moving to cross the small side street. Suddenly a strong hand grabs my shirt and pulls me back up onto the sidewalk.

"Duo! What the hell are you doing?" Heero's voice demands from right next to me. "And why is your forehead bleeding?" His fingers wipe the wetness I didn't even know was there from my forehead.

"Some stupid kids stole my cane and pushed me over. I must've gotten turned around or something cause I have no idea where the hell I am," I exhale in frustration.

"What?" Heero growls.

"Apparently it's funny to pick on the blind guy," I shrug.

"Why is your forehead bleeding?" he asks me again.

"I ran into a brick wall. At least it felt like brick…"

I hear Heero exhale as he takes my hand and leads me in the right direction. I was so surprised that he took my hand as opposed to my arm that I missed the beginning of what he was saying.

"… thing I found you when I did. You came so close to getting hit by a car."

"Sorry," I murmur, still slightly distracted by the feel of his hand in mine.

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault some kids are assholes."

I walk close to his side all the way back to headquarters. He watches for all the cracks and steps and bumps for me the entire way there, acting as my cane. Though I definitely prefer him to my stupid red and white plastic stick.

When we get to headquarters, Heero releases my hand and takes me up to his office.

"So I have the six cases set up on my computer so you can listen to them. I have to head over to our ADA's office and get her to get the evidence from those cases. I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

"Kay," I nod, sitting in Heero's chair.

Heero taps a few keys on his keyboard and the files start to read off. Once Heero leaves, I stand and make my way over to his white board. One side is full, so I flip it over and run my hand along it to feel for any pictures, then I smell my fingers. No whiteboard marker, so this side is blank. I write down notes as legibly as I can as the cases begin to play. By only the second case and the fifth victim, I start to pick up on a trend. After listening to all six cases and all seventeen victims, my suspicion is confirmed. All of his victims were easy targets.

Of his two attacks here, his first victims were asleep. With his second victims, one had a broken leg. His attack in Salt Lake City, one of the two victims was deaf. Of the three he killed in San Francisco, it was a single mother with two young kids. Of the two he attacked in Austin, they were both mentally challenged. With the two he attacked in Miami, one had only one arm. The family of three he killed in New York City, the dad had a broken arm and the kid was only four. And the family of five he killed just outside of Washington D.C., the mother was blind in her right eye and the kids were all under the age six.

I wrote that in block letters at the top of the board then underlined it, hoping that it was at least slightly legible. Under it, I started a criminal profile. He was definitely unconfident, targeting easier victims. He probably lived alone, had a quiet life. Most likely this guy had no… entertainment in his life, so he had to create some of his own. With a guy like this, his first kill was probably an accident with a pet, or something. But he got a rush from it and started to kill people. And, after listening to the autopsy reports, it wasn't hard to deduce that this guy loved to watch his victims suffer.

The door opens and I'm pretty sure it's Heero that enters the room.

"Hey Heero. Can you read that? I tried to write it as neatly as I could," I tell him.

"It's fine. I can't believe I didn't see that earlier," he murmurs, walking up next to me to read the board.

"I started a criminal profile and…" Suddenly, I think of something. "Hold on a sec…"

I make my way over to the computer, but then hesitate.

"Can you… uh… replay the files?" I ask him.

"Sure." He comes up behind me and reaches around me to hit a button.

I nearly loose my train of thought at having him so close to me. But then I quickly regain the thought when the files play. My suspicions are confirmed once we get to the end of the tape and I hear what I was looking for.

"Gotcha," I breathe.

"What is it?" Heero asks, walking up next to me.

"In Salt Lake, the deaf victim was a cop. The single mother's late husband in San Fran had been a detective. And the case in Austin, one of the victim's mothers was a forensic scientist. The one armed victim in Miami was a Preventer who lost his arm in an accident during a mission. The woman victim in New York was a medical examiner. In D.C., the husband was a private investigator."

I smile, then finish the thought in three words…

"He targets cops."

* * *

**So? Still good? This is the chapter where the plot just randomly pops into the story. Just kinda like BAM HERE I AM in your face... So yeah... anyway, please review and I'll post the next chapter tomorrow night for alls of you XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews guys. It's nice to wake up to in the morning XD Here's the next chapter for you. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 3

"He is targeting cops and other law enforcement officials or families of law enforcement with disabilities or that are easy targets."

"Like you," Heero observes, worry in his tone.

"Yeah, I guess. Although, my disability doesn't make me defenseless, Heero. I can still kick ass."

"Yeah, like you did with those kids earlier?" Heero questions.

"Yeah well…"

"Duo. He's targeting cops with disabilities, and he seems to really like this area. And you live alone," he points out.

"I can take care of myself, Heero."

"I'll feel better if you have someone with you."

"I'm fine by myself," I tell him firmly, starting to get frustrated with him.

"What if you come stay with me? Just until we catch this guy," Heero suggests.

"Sorry, but it took long enough to get used to my own apartment," I tell him, though I would've really liked to agree to that. "But… what if you come stay with me at my apartment?"

"Alright," he agrees, and I smile at how quickly he did.

For the rest of the day, we go over other similarities and make additions to some files. I help Heero take the evidence boxes down to forensics and Bobby gets right to them, knowing the importance of our case. We leave early today though so that Heero can take me to my doctor's office to get a new cane.

I'm really dreading going to see my doctor, because I'm going to have to tell her what had happened… She was going to tell me how she was right, that it was dangerous for me to go places alone. I told Heero this, but he didn't seem to care.

At the office, Heero takes my arm and leads me up to the receptionist.

"How may I help you two?" the woman asks kindly.

"We need to see his doctor," Heero tells her.

"I just need a new cane, mine was stolen. I'm blind," I add to the end of that, hoping I could just get one here.

"Who's your doctor, dear?" she asks me.

I sigh in defeat. "Doctor Cameron."

"I'll call her and have her get you a new cane, sweetheart," she tells me, and I hear her dialing a phone. "Yes, Doctor Cameron? I have a patient down here. His name is…"

"Duo Maxwell," I supply.

"…Duo Maxwell. Yes, he's fine, he just needs a new cane. He says his was stolen today. Okay, I'll send him right up," she says, hanging up the phone. "Doctor Cameron is available to see you now."

"Uhm, do you mind telling me where her office is?" Heero asks.

"Oh, right, of course," she says and tells Heero how to get there.

Heero leads me down the hall and up a few levels before we get to my doctor's office. Heero knocks and I hear my doctor finish up a phone call, then hang up.

"Come in," she calls.

Heero opens the door and I hear the sound of my doctor's high heel shoes crossing the carpeted floor.

"You have a laceration on your forehead, as well as a bruise, and your palms are scraped up," she points out. "What happened, Mr. Maxwell?"

"Nothing. Just some punk ass kids stole my cane and pushed me over. That's it," I tell her.

"I didn't see anything, but I found him without his cane and he disoriented. He almost walked into oncoming traffic," Heero elaborates and I elbow him in the ribs.

"Duo! If you lose your sense of direction, you stop right where you are and call for help. We've gone over this," my doctor chastises me.

"I'll keep a better eye on him," Heero promises.

I snort and elbow him in the ribs again.

"Good. His pride gets the better of him sometimes. Do you know Duo through work?" she asks.

"Yes. I'm Heero Yuy. Duo's my partner," he tells her, and I hear them shake hands.

"Here's your cane, Mr. Maxwell," the doctor says, putting the handle in my hand.

"Thanks," I murmur, then turn to the door.

Heero turns me straighter, then follows me out of the room.

"Thank you," Heero tells my doctor over his shoulder.

"No problem," Doctor Cameron replies.

Heero keeps a light hand on my arm as we walk through the hospital. Heero opens the door of his truck for me, then climbs in and starts it. I feel for the air vents and hold my hands over the warm air, getting a sudden chill.

"Are you cold?" Heero asks, then cranks up the heater.

"Thanks," I murmur.

We drive for a little while, then Heero stops the car a lot sooner than I had expected.

"Where are we?" I ask him.

"My apartment. I need to get some stuff before we go to your place. Do you want to wait here or come with me?"

"I'll come with you," I tell him, climbing out of the car and following him up a flight of stairs and into an apartment.

I had never been to Heero's apartment and I found that I was disappointed that I couldn't see it. I hesitate by the door, not sure where to go or what to do. I listen to Heero rummaging around, packing a few things.

"Come in, Duo. Watch out, there is a chair right in front of you," Heero calls to me.

I walk around the chair and try to follow the sound of Heero's movements. I hear the click of locks on a suitcase, then hear Heero walking towards me.

"Got everything?" I ask him.

"Yeah, let's go," he says, walking around me, taking my arm.

"Need me to carry something?" I ask him.

"I got it," he promises.

We walk down the stairs and to Heero's truck. I hear the sound of him putting his suitcase in the bed of the truck as I get in the cab. Back at my apartment, I show Heero where everything is. I hadn't been in the spare bedroom since before the accident, so I didn't have this room memorized like I did the rest of the apartment. I trip over something and nearly fall flat on my face. But Heero was there to grab me and hold me up. I blush and bow my head, turning from the room. I feel Heero's eyes on me all the way out of the room.

I walk over to couch and sit down, pulling up my laptop, a blush still burning on my cheeks. After about fifteen minutes, the sounds of Heero unpacking stopped and I hear his footsteps approaching me. He sits down next to me and turns on his laptop. I look in his general direction.

"I'll go make dinner if you're hungry," I tell him.

"Oh, it's okay. I'll go make it. It'll probably be a lot easier for me to do it," he replies and the weight shifts on the couch, telling me he got up.

"Okay then," I shrug. "Well I'll help you since I have nothing better to do."

The week goes by pretty uneventfully. Heero is getting edgier and edgier as it gets closer and closer to when this guy will strike again. Oh Friday, he suggests that we work from home so that I won't have to leave the apartment. I roll my eyes at him and drag him out of the house. Much against his prior assumptions, the day at the office was very uneventful.

I have to admit, although I hate when Heero gets overprotective of me, I love that he cares that much for me. I never would've thought that the former Perfect Soldier would have any feeling whatsoever for me. But to think that he actually cares for me enough to stay home from work with me to protect me brings a smile to my face.

On our walk home, we run into those same kids that stole my cane a week ago. I hear footsteps running, but don't think anything of it until my cane is snatched from my grip. I hear laughter for a second before its cut off abruptly by Heero grabbing the kid and pulling him back. Listening to the breathing, I can tell that it's actually two kids.

"Do you think its funny picking on people with disabilities?" Heero growls at the kids, his tone cold and angry. I wish I could see the look on these kids' face. "We are both Preventer agents, so I suggest you give him back his cane before I arrest you for theft."

My cane is quickly shoved back into my hands.

"Now apologize to him," Heero growls.

"Sorry, sir," the two younger boys tell me quickly.

"Now if I get any more trouble from the two of you, I'm bringing you both in for assault," Heero threatens.

I hear the sounds of their footsteps running away quickly after Heero releases them.

"Are you okay, Duo?" he asks me as we continue to walk.

"Yeah I'm fine. They didn't do anything to me," I assure him. "But I'm really hungry."

"Well there is a restaurant right here that looks good. It's just a grill," Heero tells me.

"Sounds good," I nod, following him into the restaurant.

A waitress seats us close to the front door so I don't have to fumble around too much. She shows us our seats, then hands us both menus.

"I don't need a menu," I tell her. "Thanks though."

"Are you sure?" she asks.

"Well, you can give me one if you like, but I don't know how much good it'll do," I tease her, waving a hand in front of my eyes.

"Oh, right, sorry sir," she apologizes quickly. I can practically hear the blush in her voice.

Heero chuckles as she scurries away and I laugh with him.

"Do you think you can tell what there is, good sir?" I ask him.

"Of course," he says quickly, then starts to read off the menu.

"You don't have to read everything," I stop him. "Just what sounds good. Actually… I'll just get whatever you're getting. If it sounds gross I'll just ask our waitress what she recommends."

"If you're sure," Heero shrugs.

When the waitress come back to take our orders, I just get what Heero's getting. While we eat, I get this strange feeling that someone is watching me. I'm about to bring it up to Heero, but I decide not to, knowing he'd get all paranoid. Well… more paranoid than he already is. Hopefully it'll go away soon.

It doesn't go away though. It's a constant presence while we eat and on the entire walk home. I'll admit that I'm slightly worried about it, but every time I'm reminded that Heero is right with me, it makes me calm down a little.

At the apartment, Heero pulls up the files on his lap top and sits on the couch. I fold up my cane and stick it on the coat rack where it belongs, then join Heero on the couch. We go over a few things on the case. Heero goes to bed soon after though, leaving me in the family room. I listen to a few tapes for a while, making a few more notes.

I don't remember going to sleep, but I'm waking up what feels like hours later. Its morning I realize when I feel the warmth of the sun through a window on me. I move to roll over, but suddenly I'm falling and I land with a thud on my back on the floor. I had fallen asleep on the couch. I laugh out loud at my own stupidity at the same time I hear Heero run into the room.

"What was…" he cuts himself off when he sees what had happened and chuckles.

He grabs my hands and helps me back to my feet.

"Do you mind pointing me in the direction of my room?" I tease.

He takes my shoulders and turns me around.

"Thanks," I call over my shoulder as I feel my way towards my room.

I take a quick shower and when I leave my room, brushing my long hair with one hand while feeling out in front of me with the other, I smell the scent of bacon coming from the kitchen. I smile and put down my brush, hurrying over to the kitchen. I follow my nose over to the counter and grab a piece of bacon. It's still hot though and I juggle it back and forth between my hands. Heero laughs at me as I quickly shove the bacon in my mouth.

The morning goes by slow. I lie back on the couch and watch TV. Well… listen to TV. Heero joins me after a little while. He lifts my legs and sets them back down on his lap, then sets his laptop on my legs.

"You know you could have just asked me to move my legs," I told him.

"This works just fine," he replies.

Heero continues to work on his case while I listen to the television drone on about something stupid. I frown and search for the remote.

"What are you looking for?" Heero asks.

"The remote before I die of boredom," I mumble.

Heero chuckles and I hear the channel being changed. He stops on the news.

"Really?" I groan.

"Yes, really," Heero replies.

"Ugh," I groan, dropping my head back onto the couch. "Then release my legs so I can leave."

"Nah, that's alright," Heero teases.

"I swear to god if you don't let me go…" I trail off, not sure what to threaten Heero Yuy with.

I hear the channel being changed to what sounds like something being blown up. Much better.

"Thank you," I tease with no sincerity.

The rest of that day goes slow, as does the following day. Then the next day we're back at work going over the same leads we have been going over for the last week. What I really want is something new, something that I haven't already pulled apart, then put back together multiple times. So I go down to the lab while Heero is out in a meeting to go over our standings in the case. I'm glad I weaseled my way out of that one, because I do not want to be the one to tell Une that after three weeks, we're only on square one. Maybe square one and a half.

Bobby is running around like a mad man when I get down there. I hear his hurried footsteps running between beeping machines before I even enter the room.

"Would you like some help?" I ask from the door way.

"Oh, god yes," Bobby breathes in relief.

I laugh. "Okay, just tell me where to go and what to do."

"Well all your evidence has been tested and whatnot and is in the back room. After I get caught up a little bit you can take it back up," he tells me.

"Sure thing."

"There are two boxes on the table over there. Do _not_ touch anything in the one on the right. It has a few vials of fungi extract, some of which are very poisonous. But the one on the right is evidence from bank robbery that needs sorting."

I nod and take box on the right and slide it under the table and out of my way so that I can work with the second box. I'm in here for about an hour and a half when my phone starts to ring. My hands are full and I think of not answering it, but then realize that its probably Heero wondering where I am. I set down what I'm working on and quickly answer my phone.

"Maxwell," I answer.

I hear a sigh of relief, then Heero's voice responds, "Hi. Uhm… where are you?"

"In the lab. I'm helping Bobby out cause he's swamped," I tell him.

"Alright. Has our evidence been tested?"

"Yeah. He had it done when I got down here. I'll be up in a little while."

"You can leave if Heero needs you, Duo," Bobby calls to me. "I'm almost caught up here."

"Never mind, Heero, I'll be up in a few minutes," I respond.

I hang up and grab our box in one hand and my cane in the other. Once back up in Heero's office, he takes the box from me and sets it on his desk. He looks through a few papers, posting some of them on his board, then sorts through the rest of evidence. After a little while, we clock out and head home.

That feeling I had gotten three days ago of being watched hadn't ever really gone away, but had just been there in the back of my mind. But now, on the walk home, it's very strong. I keep it to myself though for the same reason I did three days ago. I don't want Heero to get more paranoid than he really is.

When we get back to my apartment, that feeling is even stronger. I really start debating on telling Heero, but I decide that it doesn't matter.

"I need to go get something from my apartment. Will you be okay on your own for about half an hour to an hour?" Heero suddenly asks me, heading to where I assume his truck is.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I tell him. Now I'm a little more worried about that sense of being watched, knowing that Heero is leaving.

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll be back as soon as possible," he tells me.

I hear the sound of a car door closing, then the truck starting. He drives away as I tap over to the front doors. Its too quiet as I walk over to the elevator and feel for the up button. My whole body is buzzing, my instincts screaming at me that something isn't right. I almost pull out my phone to call Heero, but stop. This is my chance to prove to him and myself that I can handle being alone. As long as I get to my apartment and lock the door, I'll be fine.

The elevator door opens and I ride it up to my floor. I feel my way to my room, then stick the key in the door and unlock it. I really should've listened to my instincts and called Heero, because the second my door is open, a knife is plunged into my stomach.

I fight the gasp of pain and force the pain to the back of my mind and instantly go into the offensive mode, into attack mode. I knock my attackers hand from the hilt, then pull the blade from my gut. I hold back the gasp of pain as the blood started to flow freely down my stomach. I slash at my attacker, but he's not there.

I strain my ears, listening for any sign of where he might be. Footsteps, creaks in the floor, breathing, even a heartbeat if it's loud enough. I also search for the scent of sweat, but it's hard because the scent of my blood is almost overpowering. I strain every sense, needing to know where this guy is. I hold the knife tight in one hand, ready to strike when I need to.

There! I know he's behind me to the right because I catch the scent of his sweat. Then, the floor creaks ever so slightly, letting me know exactly where he is. I spin on him, slashing. Miss. Again, the sound of him breathing. I turn on him again, but again I miss. The loss of blood is making it hard for me to concentrate. My legs are shaky and dizziness is starting to creep in. Again he gives himself away. I miss again and I hear the sound of the door opening and slamming shut behind me. He had given up. I know he's gone because I no longer feel his presence.

The knife falls to the ground, landing with muffled thud in the carpet. The loss of blood and the fading of adrenaline causes my legs to give out beneath me. I fall to the ground and feel as the blood starts to pool around my stomach. I was going to die. Heero wasn't going to be back for another half hour at the soonest. By then, if I hadn't bled out, I'd be too far gone to save. This was it.

As I lay there in my own blood, I find that I'm not worried about dieing. I had come to terms with the fact that, between the war and my job as a Preventer, I would probably die young. No, what really bothered me was that I would never get to tell Heero exactly how I felt about him. As I lay there thinking about it, thinking about what I'd tell him if I could see him one more time, I realize the true extent of my feelings towards him. I realize, as I think of three words I want to tell him, the words 'I love you', that it's true. I really do love him.

I close my eyes and wait for the darkness to claim me. It seems like an eternity. My head is pounding and the dizziness is overpowering. I'm so cold. I wish, for the thousandth time, that Heero was with me right now, holding me in his arms. I want to feel his warmth, tell him I love him.

Then, just before the cold claws of death take me, I feel a pair of arms picking me up. I'm conscious long enough to manage a few word.

"Tell Heero… I love him," I murmur before I'm gone.

…

[Flashback]

"Okay, boys, we have five minutes to infiltrate before alarms start going off. We enter here," I say, pointing to a spot on our map in the back of the van. "We need to get here. I don't want all of us going the same way though, so Team A will take the left, Team B the middle, and Team C the right. Team A will be Heero and I. Team B is Jefferies, Cain, and Collins. Team C is Hunter, Mills, and Peterson. Everyone got it?" I ask, looking around at the faces of my team.

They all nod.

"Good. Let's get 'em boys."

Everyone loads their automatic weapons and we jump out of the van. We run across the short stretch towards the large warehouse looking building. I give everyone their signals, then we enter the building. Heero follows a little ways behind me as we run down the left side, watching my back. I remember the placement of a sensor up ahead. I try to remember how high it is… oh right, it's about shoulder high. I duck my head and move under where it should be. Nothing explodes, so I assume I made it. I continue to run towards the door we are all supposed to meet at. I'm the first one here by a long shot.

I turn back to look where Heero is just in time to see him run right where the sensor was.

"Heero!" I cry, taking a step towards him.

I hear something click behind me just as the whole wall behind me explodes. I don't feel a thing and I'm out before I hit the ground.

I come back from oblivion for a few moments to hear two voices talking next to me. I'm too out of it to tell who's talking though.

"… shrapnel hit the back of his head, causing severe damage to the optic lobe of his brain."

"So what does that mean? Will he be okay?"

"Well… all my scans show non-repairable damage to the image processing part of his optic lobe…"

"Meaning…?"

"His eyes can take in images, but his brain can't process them. He… He'll never be able to see again."

* * *

**Aw poor Duo. That was a flashback to when he lost his eyesight if you couldn't tell... and thats the end of the flashback just to let you know. The next chapter starts back in real time. Please review. Thank you :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Death shouldn't be this… uncomfortable. Or painful. No, I'm not dead. I recognize all the signs of being in a hospital. The beeping of a heart monitor, the tickle of IV lines in my arms, the uncomfortable bed underneath me, the powerful smell of medication.

I open my eyes and am surprised for a moment that everything remains black, but then I remember. I sigh and try to remember why I'm in a hospital. Then it all comes flooding back to me. I was attacked in my apartment. I was stabbed…

I push down the blankets quickly and open my gown, feeling my stomach. I feel the thick, ragged stitches for a moment before a strong hand grabs my wrist.

"You shouldn't touch those," Heero's voice tells me.

I can tell by the sound of his voice that he's tired. It sounds all worn out, like he hasn't slept in a while.

"Hey," I smile, my voice coming out hoarse from not being used in a while. "How long was I out?"

"Four days," Heero answers.

"You found me…" I murmur, realizing what must've happened, that Heero must've found me just in time.

"Yeah, but I was almost too late. When I got you here, they hooked me up directly to you to give blood because they couldn't wait that extra few minutes it took to draw my blood, then hook you up to the bags." His voice is completely monotone, like it is when he's trying to hide some deeper emotion.

"Oh," I breathe. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault," he tells me.

Suddenly, I remember what I had uttered when I was found. I hadn't thought that it was Heero who had found me, so I told him to 'tell Heero I love him'… But since it was Heero who had found me, he must've heard it. Did he? He hasn't said anything about it yet… Maybe he doesn't feel the same way about me?

I hear the beep of my heart monitor start to accelerate as my heart starts to pick up speed.

"Duo? What's wrong?" Heero asks me.

I'm about to ask him if he had heard what I had said to him, but can't bring myself to say the words. I can't get them past the lump in my throat. I decide I'll just let him bring it up when he's ready to, if he even heard it in the first place.

"Nothing. Just… remembering…" I reply, and it's not a lie at all.

"Do you mind telling me what happened?" he asks, his voice quiet.

"Well I had this feeling that someone was watching me for the entire weekend—"

"Someone's been watching you all weekend and you didn't tell me?" Heero nearly shouts at me.

"And this is why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd get all paranoid," I snap back. "Anyway, the night I was attacked, it had felt really strong. When I got to my apartment, he was there waiting for me. He stabbed me the second I walked in the room. I got the knife out of my stomach and tried to cut him or something but he avoided my attacks. After a few moments, he left. I guess when the adrenaline wore off I just collapsed. I don't really remember what happened after that." Okay that last part was a slight lie.

I hear Heero take a shuddering breath.

"So you were the one who found me in my apartment?" I ask again for clarification, just to make sure he was the one who got my message.

"Yes. I was talking to you. Didn't you hear me?"

"No…" I frown. Had he replied to my confession and I hadn't heard it? What had he said? How did he reply to that? "My head was pounding and I was on the verge of unconsciousness. I guess I didn't hear anything."

"Oh," he sighs, almost sounding disappointed. What had he told me that he wished I had heard and that he's too nervous to repeat? I really want to know but I'm too afraid to ask.

I hear the doors open and the sound of high heels clicking across the hard floor.

"Duo! You're awake!" my doctor exclaims, hurrying to the side of my bed across from Heero. "It's about time. Your partner hasn't left your side since you got here. You really should go get something to eat and go sleep for a while, Mr. Yuy."

"You haven't slept or eaten in four days?"

"I did. A little…" he corrects me.

I feel for his shoulder and once I find it, I smack him. "Go take care of yourself! I'm not going anywhere and no one can get to me in the hospital."

"I'll be back in half an hour," he tells me and I hear him stand up.

"No. Go home. Eat. Sleep. Then you can come back. You need to take care of yourself, Heero."

"Hn," he responds and I have the strongest feeling he's not going to listen to me.

He starts to leave, but I remember something and grab his shirt. I feel my dry blood on it and frown.

"You haven't even changed?"

"No," he answers simply.

I sigh. "Do that also. And when you come back, can you bring my laptop? I'm not sure how long I'll be in here."

"Oh, you'll be released later tonight," Doctor Cameron replies.

"Never mind then," I exhale.

I hear the door open and close behind Heero as he leaves and I sigh deeply.

"He really cares for you, you know," my doctor points out.

"What?" I ask quickly, turning on her.

"You should've seen him when he brought you in. He was frantic. When we told him it was probably too late to save you, he freaked out. We kept a direct line between the two of you so he could give you blood and the entire time he just stared at you. He seemed so… depressed. He never gave up on you though. He insisted we keep the line in longer to make sure you were okay. After we disconnected the two of you, I suggested he go home and get some rest, but he refused to leave you until you woke up. I brought him some food and he dozed off for a few minutes here and there, but other than that he just sat there."

I'm in shock. I only wished I could've witnessed that side of Heero Yuy, the former Perfect Soldier. I never believed he could care that much for anyone. And it makes me even more disbelieving that it was towards me.

"He really did that?" I breathe.

"Yes." I can hear the smile in her voice. "You like him, don't you."

"What? No, I… It's not like that… I just…"

"Don't worry. I won't tell him," she reassures me. "But you should."

"I kind of already did…" I admit.

"Kind of?" I can tell she's raising an eyebrow at me.

"Well, I didn't know it was Heero that had found me. I thought it was my landlord, or someone. And honestly I thought I wasn't going to make it. So I said, 'tell Heero I love him'."

"So he knows."

"Well, I'm not sure if I said it out loud, or if he even heard me of I did. I was so on the verge of passing out…"

"Then tell him again. Let him know you were serious. It's obvious he likes you much more than as a partner. And, having treated many cops, trust me when I say that I understand how deep a partnership runs. I can honestly say though, that what he feels towards you is stronger than that."

"How can you be sure?" I ask hesitantly, almost non-believing.

"Because I'm a woman," she laughs. "Also, I've witnessed lovers, spouses, and significant others' reaction when they think their other isn't going to make it. He was acting the same way."

I think about it for a minute, letting that sink in.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I will tell you that you won't be disappointed if you let him know how you feel. I know you're both guys and you don't like to talk about feelings, but you should."

I nod and she checks my vitals before leaving. Then I'm left alone with all these thoughts swimming around my head. I have a lot of questions as well and very few of them I'm able to answer.

But the one thing I'm absolutely positive about is that the doctor is right. I need to tell Heero what I think about him.

…

So the doc kept good on her word and I was informed that I could leave in a few hours. Many times I get offered a protection detail, but every time I refuse, knowing Heero won't be letting me out of his sight now. And if he's going to be with me twenty-four seven, then I'm not worried about a thing.

I find that I'm always listening for the door to open, wanting so bad for Heero to come back. I'm glad that he's not back yet, though, because that means he's actually taking care of himself. So I preoccupy myself by thinking of how I am going to tell Heero I love him. Again. I don't know how to approach it now. How am I supposed to bring it up? I don't even know where to begin.

And, when Heero does come back, I still have no idea how to tell him.

"You're back," I point out the obvious.

"I am," he replies.

"Did you sleep at all?" I ask him.

"About two hours," he answers simply.

"And you showered. And changed your clothes," I notice.

"I did. How did you know?"

"You smell cleaner and the slight scent of blood is gone," I explain.

Just then, the door opens and the familiar sound of high heels crosses the room to my bedside. I paper is dropped in my lap and a pen is placed in my hand.

"Sign here, Mr. Maxwell, and you'll be a free man," my doctor tells me.

She puts my hand where it's supposed to be and I quickly scrawl my name. I sit up and swing out of bed. My stomach hurts, but I ignore it. Something is put in my hands and before I can ask, Heero tells me, "They're your clothes. I picked them up from your apartment. Along with a lot of other things."

"Did you trash my apartment? I told you I had everything in perfect order—"

"You're not going back to your apartment. At least not for a while. Your apartment is a crime scene and is taped off. You'll stay with me until we catch this guy."

"Oh," I shrug. "Okay."

I find the bathroom and change quickly. Heero hands me my cane and leads me out of the hospital. Once in his truck, I again start to think of how I could tell him how I feel about him. I still can't think of anything. And I feel myself starting to get nervous, my heart racing, causing my wound to seep.

"You're bleeding," Heero is quick to observe.

"I'm fine. Just oozing a little," I reassure him.

He's quiet then and I pick at my cane handle, my mind swarmed with questions. Then the car stops and Heero turns off the truck. Heero gets my suitcase out of the bed of the truck and my computer bag from the cab. I follow him into his apartment and I hear him set down my stuff near the door.

I finally work up enough courage to tell him how I feel. I decide that I'm just going to tell him. Just throw it out there.

"Heero? There is something I want to tell you," I tell him, turning to where I think he is.

I'm about to open my mouth to just say it, but then a pair of warm lips are pressed against mine. I nearly gasp in surprise and it takes me a moment to respond. But then I wrap my arms around his neck, closing my eyes and kissing him back fully. I feel his hands on the small of my back, pulling me into him. My heart is racing and I feel my wound starting to seep again, but I could really care less right now.

After what seems like forever and not long enough at the same time, Heero pulls back, releasing me. I just stand there, disbelieving. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do.

"Sorry," Heero says quickly, obviously taking my silence the wrong way. "I shouldn't have done that… I just… I didn't…"

I cut him off by reaching out towards him. My hands find his chest, then I move them up to his neck and to his face. I feel for his lips, and once I find them, I lean in and kiss him lightly.

"Don't be sorry," I tell him when I pull back. "So I take it you did hear what I said when you found me."

"I did. And I responded too. Though I take it you didn't hear what I said," he replies, his voice soft, quiet.

"No. How about you repeat it for me?" I suggest.

He steps into me and wraps his arms loosely around my waist. He leans in and whispers in my ear, "There are not words for how I feel about you, and I won't let you leave me like this."

I smile and wrap my arms around him. He hugs me back and I burry my face in his neck, breathing in his scent. When he pulls away, he takes my hand in his and my suitcase in the other, then leads me to a spare room. He tells me where the bathroom is, then leaves me alone to change. I stop him at the door though.

"Wait, Heero," I call after him.

"Yes?"

"Where… where does this leave us? Like, relationship wise?" I ask him.

I hear him take a few steps towards me. "How would you like our relationship to continue?"

"I wasn't lying when I said I love you. And I'd like us to take the next step in our relationship, but if Une finds out, she's not going to let us work together."

"We could always just keep it secret," Heero suggests.

"But I don't want to keep it secret. And Une will skin us alive if she finds out we were hiding something like this from her."

We're both silent for a moment, then I suggest, "As much as I hate to say it… why don't we hold off on going forward in our relationship until I'm more comfortable working in Preventers. I'll also work on finding a new position once this case is over. Is that okay?"

"Sounds fine to me."

"Okay… starting now, forget I ever told you I love you," I tell him, the words stinging in my mouth.

"Alright," Heero agrees, and I can hear the slight disappointment in his voice.

He turns to leave, but again I stop him.

"Wait," I call again and hurry back over to him.

I find his face and pull him down for long, deep, toe curling kiss.

"Okay, starting now," I smirk after I pull back for air.

Heero chuckles and whispers, "Good night," then places a light kiss on my forehead.

I smile to myself as I hear the sounds of him leaving. I think I hear the sound of the light switch being turned off, though it makes no difference to me. I quickly get dressed, then make my way towards the bed and crawl under the covers. I raise a hand to my lips and try to make myself believe that all that had really happened. I fall asleep moments later, thinking about the way Heero's lips had felt on mine.

…

Nightmares plagued me that night. I bolted straight up in bed with a small cry just as a knife was plunged into my stomach again. I'm covered in a cold sweat and my hands are shaky as I frantically feel my stomach for the knife. I sigh in relief when I only find a line of prickly stitches. The wound had started to bleed again though with my rise in heart rate.

I try to go back to sleep, but I'm wide awake. My mouth is dry, so I decide I'll go try to get something to drink. I fumble for my watch on the nightstand and push one of the buttons. The time 3:48 is read to me. I groan and untangle myself from the tumbled sheets. Standing, I find the door, then make my way out of the room. I try my hardest not to run into anything and not to make noise in the unfamiliar setting. But I have no such luck as my foot catches on something and I trip into a wall.

There is the sound of hurried footsteps coming from a few rooms over and I hear the click of a gun as Heero enters the room.

"Duo?" he murmurs, his voice thick with sleep.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just trying to get some water or something. I can't sleep…" I apologize.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asks, a hint of concern in his voice as he takes my hand and leads me to the couch.

"Yeah," I sigh, sitting down.

Heero walks away, then returns and hands me a glass. I take a sip and I feel the weight on the couch shift as Heero sits next to me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks me quietly.

"I just got attacked again. That's all," I exhale, running my free hand through my bangs.

Heero takes that hand in his and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "I will not let that prick come anywhere near you, Duo. You don't need to worry about him anymore. I will nail his ass, then give him the needle myself for what he did to you."

"Thank you," I breathe, setting my glass on the table and hugging him tightly, needing that reassurance.

He returns the gesture, his hands rubbing soothing circles on my back. I rest my head on his shoulder, content to just stay like this forever.

"What's today?" I ask into his shirt.

"Sunday," he answers.

"Good, I don't have to go into Preventers today," I sigh.

"Une is going to give you the rest of the week off," Heero replies, running a hand over my braid down my back.

"Thank god," I exhale. "I'll help you with this case from here, but I really am not up to being back to Preventers."

"I'll be staying here with you. I'm not leaving you alone anywhere until we catch this guy."

"Well, that means we don't have to hide how we feel for this week," I smile, tightening my hold on him.

"I thought we weren't even going to start a relationship for a while."

I pull back from him a little, trying to hide my disappointment. "Do you not want to start dating me?"

"No, of course I do. That's not what I meant. It's just… I think it might be easier for you if we hold off for a while… It's just, you were the one who told me to forget that you told me you love me."

"Yeah, you're right… If we start dating now, it'll be hard for me to pick up a normal partnership with you when I go back to work," I frown, releasing my hold on him and sitting back.

"Sorry," he murmurs.

"No, don't be. You're right. I've waited this long, I can wait a few more weeks," I tell him, standing up. "I'm going to try to get some more sleep. Wake me up when you get up."

"Hn," I hear him respond, and I can tell his mind is on other things.

I turn around and feel for his face. I lean in and lightly press my lips to his. Then I turn and find my room, crawling under the covers. I close my eyes, but can't fall asleep. I just lay there, thinking. After what feels like at least an hour, I hear the door squeak open and quiet footsteps coming towards my bed. I quickly recognize the quiet breathing as Heero's.

He doesn't say anything, just leans over and places a soft kiss on my cheek. I smile to myself as he walks away and closes the door behind him. Sleep comes easy to me then.

…

I wake up in the morning and I can tell it's late. I find my watch and it tells me that it's almost noon. I frown. Heero was supposed to wake me up when he got up. And I highly doubted that he's still in bed. Sitting up, I rub my eyes and throw off my sheets. I fumble around for my suitcase, but can't find it. Giving up, I pull off my shirt and find the bathroom. I take a long shower, letting the warm water relax my tensed muscles.

I pull back on my boxers and walk out into the family room, my hair a damp curtain around me. Suddenly, my leg hits something and I just barely manage to catch myself before falling flat on my face.

"Are you alright?" Heero's voice calls from somewhere.

"Yeah. Just a new bruise to add to my collection," I respond.

I follow the sound of his voice, trying so hard not to trip over anything else. I walk through a doorway and my feet leave soft carpet and touch the cold of tile. Judging by the smell, I'm guessing this is the kitchen and Heero is making eggs.

"Where are you?" I ask.

"Over here," he answers from straight ahead of me.

I walk forward, my hands feeling out in front of me. My hand suddenly touches the soft fabric of his shirt on his back and I move to stand next to him.

"Is everything alright?" Heero asks, pausing in his cooking.

"Could you tell me where you put my suitcase? I obviously can't find it."

I wait for an answer, but jump when I feel a finger run down a scar on my chest. I shiver and take that hand from my chest.

"Are they really that bad? I don't know what they look like…" I frown.

"No, it's not that. It's just… knowing I caused them…"

"I thought we went over this Heero," I exhale in frustration. "It wasn't your fault, and I don't blame you. Now can you tell me where my suitcase is so I can cover these ups?" I ask over my shoulder as I walk away.

"At the foot of your bed," he calls back to me. "I'll have breakfast ready in five minutes."

I continue to walk towards my room. I find my suitcase and pull on a shirt and jeans before heading back out to find Heero. I find the table and Heero sets a plate in front of me. I grab his wrist as he moves to walk away.

"Sorry I got mad at you," I murmur to him, lot looking up at him.

"Don't be sorry. You had a right to be mad at me. I shouldn't have brought it up. I should be the one apologizing."

"It's okay," I murmur. I feel him press a light kiss to my forehead and I sigh. "It's going to be really hard not start something with you know that I know how you feel about me."

"What are you talking about? It seems like we already started something," Heero observes, sitting down across from me.

"Well we can't. Cause then it'll be harder to break it off and pretend we don't like each other," I tell him, taking a bite of my eggs.

"Friends with benefits?" Heero suggests almost hopefully.

"That's the same thing and Une will still split us up," I point out.

"Damn," Heero teases.

"What if I move jobs now," I suggest, looking up towards him. "I'll ask Bobby if he'd like an assistant. Then we can be together. I'll still be able to work on the case at home with you, and I'll be down in the lab so in a way I'll always be working with you."

"Tempting, but I don't want to leave you. Even if we are in Preventer headquarters."

"What if I carry a gun?"

"No," he answers quickly.

"What, you don't trust me with a gun now? Just cause I can't see doesn't mean I don't know how to handle a gun anymore," I snap at him.

He doesn't say anything, just ignores me.

"Fine. Then I won't touch you until this case is over," I say simply, trying to get him to change his mind.

"That's not fair," Heero frowns.

We're silent for a moment, thinking.

"I have an idea. We'll do what you said, except I'll become your protection detail so that I have to be with you all the time. So, you'll just hang out with me in my office, not as my partner, but under a protective service."

"Works for me," I grin. "Can I still have a gun?"

"No."

I stick my tongue out at him, then go back to eating.

"So…" he suddenly says. "What now?"

"We just spent like five minutes discussing how we can have a relationship and still be together at work, now you don't know—"

I'm suddenly cut off by a pair of familiar lips pressed firmly to mine. When we finally pull back panting, I smile and tell him, "You can forget that I told you to forget I told you I love you."

It seems to take him a moment to decipher that, so I giggle and translate, "I love you."

I can practically hear the smile in his voice as he responds, "You are my world."

We finish breakfast in a comfortable silence. I'm elated over the fact that we figured out how to remain together for this case and also move forward in our relationship. After finding out how Heero felt about me, it had been a hard thing to suggest holding off on a relationship.

After breakfast, we move to the couch to work a little on the case. I move to sit down next to Heero, but he surprises me by pulling me into his lap. He sets his laptop on the couch next to us and types with one hand while his other arm wraps around my waist.

"So did you manage to cut him at all when you had the knife? Because Bobby wants to know if he should test the blood on the knife for anyone else other than you," Heero asks me, his finger lightly tracing my stitches.

"No," I exhale. "I wish I did, but I'm pretty sure I didn't."

"Well I'll have him test it anyway," Heero responds.

"Okay," I nod. "When should we tell Une?"

"Let's call her now," he suggests.

"Oh… okay."

He dials Une's number, then puts the phone on speaker. He sets it on my leg so he can wrap his other arm around my waist as we listen to the phone ring. I feel my heart start to accelerate and my palms starting to get sweaty. Blood seeps through my stitches and Heero places a hand over my wound. Then, she answers.

"Une."

"It's Yuy and Maxwell," Heero tells her.

"Is everything alright?" she asks us.

"Everything is fine. More than fine actually," he reassures, giving me a quick squeeze. "We just need to talk to you about something."

"Heero and I are together now," I elaborate with a smile.

"I was wondering when that would happen. It sure took you two long enough," is her response.

My jaw drops open and try to say something, but the words won't come.

"It was obvious that you two felt strongly for each other. I'm just surprised that you guys managed to keep it secret for so long."

"I guess it took me almost getting killed for me to realize how important he was to me," I shrug.

"So I'm guessing you two are actually calling to discuss partner arrangements?"

"Yes," Heero answers. "I want to keep Duo with me where he's safe until the killer is brought in, so—"

"Don't worry about it," Une cuts him off. "I want you two to keep working this case together, so I'm not going to split you up. But if there are any problems at all with this arrangement, I will have you two broken up, you hear? We'll talk about your more permanent positions after you two close the case and catch your guy."

I breathe a sigh of relief and feel Heero's lips on the side of my neck.

"Thank you, Commander," Heero tells her.

"Any time. Congratulations," she says and I can hear the smile in her voice.

The line goes dead and Heero puts his phone back in his pocket.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be," he smirks.

I turn so that I'm straddling his lap, then raise my hands to his face. I lightly run my finger over the soft lines of his face, feeling his cheekbones, his nose, his eyelids, his lips, his jaw line. I remember what he looks like, but the images are starting to fade and I want them back.

"Sorry," I breathe, my fingers skimming across his cheeks. "This is the only way I get to remember what you look like."

"It's okay," he murmurs. "I don't mind."

He shivers as I run my thumbs over his eyelids as lightly as possible. What I really want to remember is the brilliant cobalt color of his eyes. But I know I'll never see that again.

I rest my hands on either side of his face and lean in to kiss him. I brush my lips over his, then kiss the tip of his nose. I move up to his eyelids, gently kissing each.

I move over to his ear and whisper, "Just how I remember you."

Suddenly, I'm being pulled into a long, deep kiss. Heero's arms wrap around my waist, pulling me in close to him. I move my hands to his hair, running my fingers through it.

When he pulls back, he kisses the tip of my nose and whispers, "I'm having a hard time wondering why I kept this from you for so long. And how I managed to keep it from you…"

"Me too. I guess I was just afraid that you didn't feel the same way I did," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck.

He touches his lips to mine again, then hugs me to him, resting his head against my chest. I gently run my fingers through his thick hair, then lean down to kiss the top of his head. I'm content to just sit here like this forever, but suddenly, Heero's computer beeps, demanding his attention. I pull back from him and slide off his lap. Heero picks up his laptop and I replace it on the couch next to him.

"Bobby says that he has the test running and it'll be ready for us some time on Tuesday," Heero informs me, then I hear the clicking of his keyboard.

"Bobby is at work?" I ask, frowning.

"Yeah. I don't think he ever leaves."

"Poor guy," I murmur. "As much as I love working with you, I'll be glad that he's getting some help."

"Yeah. And hopefully I'll get all my test results sooner," he smirks. "It takes him forever to get around to my stuff."

I nod. "I remember what that was like."

We work on the case for a few hours, going over evidence, scenes, possible leads, and many other things. We're starting to get frustrated. We have nothing to go by, and its starting to get late.

Heero exhales in frustration, then stands up, closing his laptop.

"Where are you going?" I ask him, listening for the direction of his footsteps.

"I'm going to the lab to see what Bobby can give us," he tells me. "You should come with me. I don't want you here alone."

I nod and hurry after him. As I search around for my cane, Heero unlocks the door. I hear the door squeak open, then I hear a thud and a grunt, then the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

Before I can call to Heero and ask what happened, he cries, "Duo! Run!" His voice is panicked, like he's still in shock over what had just happened.

My heart speeds up in my chest and my body freezes when I realize what was going on. It was our murderer, the man targeting me. He came back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it took me so long to post this. I had more important things going on that I had to take care of and it completely slipped my mind. So here it is. Thanks for all the reviews and thanks for being patient with me. Enjoy.**

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Chapter 5

Once I'm finally able to gain control of my body again, I find myself running, but not the way Heero had probably meant. I needed to make sure Heero was okay. He must have been hit hard for it to have knocked him to the ground. I was running towards the sound of him struggling with another man.

When I reach the front door, I fumble around for the small table next to it, where I keep a gun. My hands encounter just air and cuss when I remember that I'm not in my apartment.

"Where do you keep your gun?" I ask hurriedly.

"No, don't worry about me! Just get out of here!"

"Tell me!" I yell at him.

I hear the sound of someone getting slammed into the wall and an unfamiliar grunt. I sigh internally at hearing that Heero seems to be gaining control of the situation.

"There's one in the drawer next to the fridge in the kitchen and also one in my nightstand," he gives in.

I hurry as quickly as I can towards the kitchen, trying as hard as I can to not run into anything. I only manage to hit one wall and run into the counter, which is pretty good considering I'm not really paying attention. I quickly locate the gun, and as I move back into the front room, I find the safety and switch it off.

When I reach the front room, I strain every sense, trying to figure out exactly where each of them are. What confuses me is I only hear one set of footfalls. And they're way too heavy to be Heero's.

"Heero?" I call.

No answer. My heart stops. I can't move. Where… where is he? What happened to him? Is he dead? Or just knocked out? I don't know and that fact is killing me. Pain turns into anger quick. Anger and frustration. Anger at the man who hurt him and frustration at not having eyes to see. If I could see Heero, I'd be able to tell what his condition was for the most part.

When the scent of blood hits my nose, I feel panic starting to rise. But I force it back. I need to keep my control. But my control is already slipping. My hands are shaking as anger and frustration courses through me. I raise the gun and push my senses to their limit to figure out just where everything and everyone is. The attacker is still, but I know precisely where he is because of his heavy breathing.

"What did you do to Heero?" I growl, barely managing to keep my anger in check.

There is no response.

"If you're not answering because you don't want me to know where you are, it's a wasted effort. I know exactly where you are because you breathe as loud as a damn dog! Answer me!" I shout at him, aiming the gun at where the breathing is coming from.

There is still no answer.

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm blind!" I practically scream at him, my control slipping and my anger growing. "Even without my eyes, I can still blow your face off!"

And still, no answer. He is testing me, pushing me to my limits, trying to make me make a mistake. But I can't make a mistake. I can't loose control.

I hear his footsteps moving closer to me. My finger tenses on the trigger.

"Don't take another step! You get any closer to me and I swear to god I'll shoot your damn head off!" I shout at him.

Suddenly the footsteps speed up. He's running at me. I fire a shot that makes contact, but then he's right in front of me. His cupped hands come down on my ears. My ears start ringing and I can't hear anymore. He just took away my only real means of locating him. Then his fist collides with my jaw, causing me to fall backwards, loosing my sense of direction and getting me all disoriented. I jump to my feet, but he's gone from in front of me before I can raise the gun back on him. I only know this because I can't feel his body heat or smell him anymore. I have no idea where he is.

My head is pounding and my balance is off. My ears are ringing so loudly in my head it's painful. My frustration in my disability is even more profound now. It's as if those past two months of dealing coolly with my disability have caught up to me. I had never pitied myself, or felt annoyed, or anything like that. I never complained, sulked, thrown a fit… I just dealt with it. There was nothing I could do about it right? What was the point of complaining? But now, it's like I've snapped. Heero needs me right now and I can't do shit to help him.

My hearing slowly but surely starts to return. It's not enough though. I can't hear my attacker's footsteps, or his breathing, but I can hear his voice.

"I have a knife above your partner's heart. If you don't want him to die, you'll drop the gun," his ragged voice instructs.

I bend down and set the gun on the floor. My mind is spinning though, trying to figure out a plan to save Heero. I can't think of anything though, and that just causes my frustration to build up even more.

"Now kick it over towards my voice," he tells me.

I frown, then kick the gun in his direction. I can hear it sliding across the carpet, which means my hearing is coming back even more. That was a lot sooner than I thought it would. Perhaps it's the adrenaline, or maybe even the fact that since my eyes are useless, my body knows I need my hearing and is fighting off the effects of his boxing my ears. Or even that my hearing is just so strong now that it doesn't take much to recover from it. Which ever way it is, it's working and I can hear now. My attacker doesn't know that either, which can work strongly to my advantage.

I don't hear the gun get picked up though. And the direction of his breathing tells me he's not even bending down. So he's leaving the gun on the ground… I already know a general direction because he had been talking, but now that my hearing is back to one hundred percent, I know exactly where he is by following his footsteps. He is moving. Probably because he knows he gave away his position by talking to me. I don't take any physical notice of this observation to keep him from knowing that I can hear.

But then a strong realization hits me. If he's moving then he's not holding a knife over Heero's heart. But… I don't even know if he is still alive. Telling me he's holding a knife over his heart was a scare tactic to get me to disarm myself. But that doesn't mean Heero is alive. He could've been bluffing. I mentally shake my head. He's not dead. He can't be dead. But… I can't be sure… I'll have to treat this situation like he is alive, just in case. I can't do anything to make this guy mad and cause him to kill Heero.

I hear his footsteps suddenly change direction. He's walking towards me. And I can tell he's being as quiet as possible. His usual heavy footsteps aren't as heavy. A hand suddenly grabs my arm and a knife presses to my throat.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" he asks me, his face right in front of mine and his disgusting breath filling my nose.

"Do you want me to? I'm trying to make it easy for you," I snap back.

"Why would you do that? Do you want to die?"

"No," I growl, under my breath. "I have someone to live for."

"Then why…" he trails off. "I get it. You're thinking that if you let me kill you easily, I'll leave your partner alone? Am I close?"

I hesitate, then nod slightly.

"You are all the same," he mutters under his breath. "You were my only target. I'm not going to kill your partner."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" I hiss at him. "I'm working your damn case! I know your MO. I know how you work. You don't only kill people that are handicapped and in law enforcement, but you also kill those related to them. Family members, spouses, lovers… you kill them all. So why would I believe you'd let my partner go?"

He gave something away right there. He didn't even realize it, but I did. I caught his mistake. He said he wasn't going to kill Heero. That means Heero is still alive. But I don't stay happy over that fact for long. Because, I know that as soon as I'm dead, he'll kill Heero. I can't let that happen. I need to fight back.

"Oh, I'll let him go. He'll be a fun target for me later. But right now, you're my target, so it's your turn to die."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," I familiar voice says.

A gunshot sounds from my right and something splatters my left side. Blood, I quickly recognize the scent. I take a step back as the body of my attacker falls to the ground.

"Heero?" I whisper, my heart pounding.

"I didn't hit you, did I? I tried to angle it so it would hit him but not hit you…" His voice is pained, and I can tell he's fighting to cover that pain, which makes me believe he's really suffering.

"I'm fine," I tell him, then hurry in the direction of his voice.

Sirens sound in the distance as I kneel on the floor and feel for him. I find his shoulder, then grab his shoulders and pull him into a sitting position. He falls against me and I hold him close. His breathing is ragged, strained, and his heart beat is so faint I can't even hear it.

"Where are you hurt?" I manage to ask past the lump in my throat. The scent of blood in this spot is so thick and Heero's skin is so cold… he's loosing too much blood.

He hesitates a long while. He doesn't want me to know.

"Please tell me," I plead.

"Knife wound," he responds quietly.

His breathing is becoming even more strained. I'm loosing him. I force myself to remain calm, not to panic.

"Where?" I ask.

Silence. Then, "Upper left chest."

His heart, I realize with a start. I quickly lay him back down and feel for the wound. I press my hands firmly over the wound to try and stop the bleeding. I feel the blood oozing between my fingers.

"Duo…" he breathes. He has no energy left. He's slipping. "You know I love you, right?"

"No. Don't talk like you aren't going to make it," I tell him, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Duo…"

"No, Heero listen to me! I didn't die on you, so you're not allowed to die on me! I made it, so you have to make it too!" I shout at him.

I hear the sound of hurried footsteps coming up the stairs of Heero's apartment building. Help was coming. But it wasn't coming fast enough. I could feel Heero's heart slowing under my hands. Blood continued to run between my fingers.

Suddenly hands grab me and pull me away from Heero. I must've been concentrating on Heero too much not to notice other people come in. I try to fight them, to stay by Heero's side. But I have no energy left. The adrenaline is gone and I'm completely worn out.

"Sir, relax. We're the paramedics, and we're here to help your partner," the man holding me tells me.

I stop fighting and let the man help Heero. I feel like I should be doing something to help, anything, but I can't move. It's like my mind just shut down. The man I love with all my being is dying somewhere in front of me, my hands are covered in his blood, a dead guy is laying somewhere behind me, people are moving around everywhere… but I'm not hearing any of it. What I'm listening hard for, under all of the noise and commotion, is Heero's breathing. I pick it up finally, but it's weak. I close my eyes, although it doesn't make a difference, and match my breathing rate to his. It's slow. Really slow. And ragged. Hoarse.

Hands are on me then, helping me up. I let them, following whoever is leading me. Then the familiar smell registers. I'd recognize that scent anywhere.

"Quatre?" I murmur. My voice sounds foreign in my own ears. Lifeless, unfeeling… monotone.

"Shhh. Everything is going to be fine. Just come with me. You need to go to the hospital and get checked out," Quatre's soothing voice tells me.

I stop walking. "I need to stay here with Heero."

"Duo, you need to go to the hospital."

"I'll go with Heero. Heero needs to see a doctor more than I do."

"Duo…" his voice looses that normally calm tone. It's sad, pained, and… fearful? Like he doesn't want me to know something…

"What?" I ask, almost afraid of the answer.

He's quiet for a moment and I can feel the tension rolling off of him. "The paramedics… there was too much bleeding… they…" My heart is hammering. The silence is killing me. "They just lost his pulse."

My heart stops. My breath catches in my throat. Tears sting in my eyes.

"T-They w-what?" my voice comes out in no more than a whisper. I couldn't have heard him right… I was just listening to his breathing…

"I'm so sorry, Duo."

"No… he can't… he's not…"

I spin around and try to hurry back to Heero, but Quatre grabs me.

"Heero!" I cry, fighting against Quatre's hold on me. "Heero! You can't leave me! I can't go on without you! Heero!"

"I have a pulse!" I hear one of the paramedics call out.

The relief that floods through me is so powerful, it forces me to my knees and the tears to stream freely down my cheeks. But I know it's not over. There is still a strong chance he could not make it. But Heero is strong. He'll make it.

I hear them bring in a stretcher, then lift Heero up onto it. Quatre helps me follow them out of the room and down the stairs to the waiting ambulance. Quatre helps me into the ambulance, then closes the doors behind me. I move down the bench to make room for the paramedics to work as the ambulance drives off. I reach out to the stretcher, then feel for Heero. My fingers touch the softness of his thick hair and I absentmindedly run my fingers through it.

My mind is numb, probably in shock. I hear the paramedics talking to each other, giving each other directions, but I'm not registering their words. The wail of the siren is faint in the back of my mind. The sickening scent of blood and the strong scent of medications and sterilizers fill the air, but I don't smell it. All I'm aware of is the feel of Heero's hair and the slow steady beep of his heart monitor.

"Sir?"

I shake my head, bringing myself back to the real world. The paramedic had asked me something. I think…

"I'm sorry, what did you ask?" My voice is so despondent… I keep my eyes on Heero, willing to see him. I wanted to see his face. Tears stung in my eyes at the fact that I couldn't.

"What is his blood type?"

"A positive, same as mine," I tell him.

"You two have the same type?"

"Yeah, we got tested when we became partners. He actually gave me blood about a week ago."

"Do you mind giving blood to him?"

"Of course," I tell him, pulling back my sleeves and holding out my arms. "I'll give him my heart if it will save him."

I feel a needle in my arm as blood is being drawn from my veins. The needle then disappears. It returns a moment later to take more blood. But that is it.

"Is that all he needs?" I ask in shock. He had lost so much blood.

"We can't risk taking any more from you since you mentioned needing a blood transfusion not too long ago."

"Take it. Don't worry about me. Just do what ever you need to do to save him," I demand.

The draw two more syringes of blood. The dizziness is overwhelming, but I'll gladly suffer this small discomfort if it means Heero will get better.

We arrive at the hospital not a moment later and Heero is unloaded from the ambulance. I listen to the paramedics bring the doctors up to speed as they rush him away. I want to follow him, but another doctor is trying to check me over for injuries.

"I'm fine," I reassure him, trying to brush him off.

"Your ears are bleeding, you have a large bruise on your jaw, bruises on your arms, a laceration on your neck, and a gunshot wound on your left arm. You are not alright," the doctor informs me.

Through all of the adrenaline and the shock, I must not have felt any of the pain of those injuries. I still couldn't feel them. But wait…

"I was shot?" I ask.

"Yes. It's just a graze, but it still needs to be bandaged."

Then I remember. When Heero shot the creep. The bullet must've grazed me after it passed through his body.

"Fine. Fix me up, but do it quickly, then take me to Heero," I tell him.

He leads me into a room and gets to work cleaning out the graze on my arm. After a few minutes, the door opens and someone wearing high heels enters.

"Duo?" my doctor gasps. "What the hell happened to you?"

"How is Heero?" I ask.

"Heero is here? I'll take over from here," she tells the other doctor. "What happened?"

"That guy that attacked me about a week ago came back. Heero tried to protect me but… h-he got stabbed…" I'm forced to stop as a lump forms in my throat.

"Oh my god… I'm so sorry," she murmurs, picking up where the other doctor left off on my arm.

"Can you find out how Heero is doing for me?" I ask her quietly.

"Where was he stabbed? Depending on what organs may have been damaged, he'd be in a different room."

"His… His heart," I tell her.

"Oh my god…" she breathed, then hurried away.

I hear the dial of a keypad, then deafening silence.

"I'm calling to check in on a heart surgery patient. Preventer Agent Heero Yuy. Yes. Okay, I'll hold."

The silence is killing me. My heart is pounding painfully in my chest. I can't take the suspense much longer…

"Yes, I'm still here," Dr. Cameron finally says. "Oh, okay. Thank you."

I hear the phone hang back up and she crosses the room back to me.

"Well?" I practically blurt.

"He's in surgery. So far he's doing okay, but they can't say for sure whether or not he'll make it through the surgery. I'm sorry, Duo."

I nod, my heart dropping into my stomach. "When… When will he be out of surgery?"

"Another hour or two."

And that hour or two goes by way too slowly. Dr. Cameron treats all my wounds, gives me all my medications, then tries to keep me in the room.

"I want to see Heero," I demand, trying to stand up.

She finally gives up. She dials a number on the phone and waits for an answer.

"Is Heero Yuy out of surgery?" she asks. "Okay, great. Can I get a room number? Thanks."

My heart soars. If he's in a room, that must mean he made it out of surgery. I release a relieved breath that I feel like I've been holding ever since he got stabbed. Was that only a few hours ago? It felt like a lifetime. My doctor takes my arm and leads me through the hospital. I follow eagerly behind her, wanting to be with Heero.

We get in an elevator that takes us up to the second floor. I follow her down the hall and into a room. She leads me to his side and I reach out to feel for him. I find a cold hand and take it in mine.

"I'll leave you alone. Just give me a call if you need anything," Dr. Cameron says, then leaves the room.

Tears are flowing freely down my cheeks now. I feel the few IV lines coming from the crease in his elbow, then feel the thick bandages covering his chest. I swallow roughly. I stand and walk around the bed to where there are no IV's or monitors or anything, then crawl up onto the bed next to him. I curl into his side, careful not to disturb anything. I run a finger light along his arm and shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're okay," I whisper to him. "But I knew you'd pull through. You are so strong. I love you…"

A sob that I can't fight back breaks through my defenses and I break down, tears streaming down my face and sobs racking my body. I had come so close to losing him. I can't even imagine what I would have done if he hadn't made it.

The steady, slow beep of his heart monitor starts to pick up, telling me that he was waking up.

"Heero?" I sniffle.

He groans, shifting uncomfortably. I quickly move to stand up, afraid I might be hurting him, but his arm wraps around my waist, keeping me against his side.

"Are you okay?" are the first words out of his mouth.

I let out a relieved, stressed laugh, the tears continuing to roll down my cheeks. But then I get serious and smack his shoulder.

"What did I do?" he asks, confused as to why I hit him.

"What do you mean 'what did I do'? You scared the shit out of me! And I swear to god if you ever do that again…" I force myself to calm down. "Do realize how close you came to leaving me forever? And you actually did leave me for a little while… If the paramedics hadn't managed to revive you—"

I'm cut off by a pair of familiar lips pressing firmly to mine. I melt into his touch, kissing him back with all I have in me.

"How do you feel?" I ask when we pull back for air.

"Like shit," he groans.

"I'm sorry, Heero," I whisper, burying my face into his shoulder.

"For what?" he asks, sounding confused.

"It's because of me you almost died," I say past the lump in my throat.

"Don't blame yourself, Duo," Heero tells me firmly. "You don't blame me for what happened to your eyes, and I don't blame you for what happened to me."

I sigh deeply, closing my eyes and breathing in his scent. I was tired of smelling the disgusting hospital smells. I didn't want to be reminded that we were in a hospital anymore. I concentrated on listening to his steady heart rate and his light breathing. I focused on the feel of his warmth wrapped around me.

"That bandage on your left arm… I got you, didn't I? I shot you…" he asks, and I feel his fingers lightly trace over the bandages.

"It's just a graze, Heero," I reassure him. "If you hadn't done that, I would be dead right now. Thank you."

Heero kisses the top of my head and I sigh in content. It's then when I realize just how exhausted I am. I fight to stay awake, to stay with Heero, but it's a loosing battle and I'm soon pulled into the world of unconsciousness.

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**Sorry again about not posting for a while. To make up for it I'll post the last chapter tonight also. It's a short one but yeah... Please review :)**


	6. Prologue

**So here's the last chapter for you guys. It's oober short, gut about 800 words, but yeah... the ending is a little... bleh, but oh well, it'll have to do *I really cant seem to write endings lately...* Please enjoy.**

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Prologue

They keep Heero in the hospital for two full days to make sure his heart is holding together. I stay with him the whole time. Right now, we're lying on our backs, our fingers laced together between us.

"So… where are we supposed to go? Your apartment is a crime scene, mine probably is still a crime scene too…" I observe.

"Yours shouldn't be anymore. But if it is, we can either stay in the Preventer barracks or we can find a hotel close by."

"Neither sound very fun," I frown.

"Well I'll call Bobby and ask if we can take down the crime scene tape at your place. They've probably gathered all the evidence they could."

He shifts to reach for something, then relaxes back next to me. I hear the dial of his cell, then he sets it on speaker.

"Walker," Bobby answers.

"Hey Bobby," Heero and I greet at the same time.

"Hey you two. How are you doing, Heero?"

"Alright, I guess."

"That's good to hear. So how can I help you?"

"Heero and I have a problem," I answer. "We don't have a place to stay. Do you still need to collect evidence from my place?"

"Nope, I have all I need. You're free to move back in, Duo," he tells me.

"Thanks," I smile.

"No problem," he responds, then the line goes dead.

Heero hangs up his phone, then I feel his lips on mine. He gives me a quick kiss, then pulls back and sits up.

"Oh, and by the way, you're free to stay with me at my place," I tell him.

"Thanks," he chuckles.

I stand and walk around the bed to help him up. At that moment, the door opens and high heels click into the room.

"I have your release papers, Agent Yuy," Dr. Cameron tells him, and I hear the rustle of papers.

Heero signs them, then I wrap an arm around his waist and walk with him out of the room. It's silent between us, but it's not an uncomfortable silence. Heero rests his arms over my shoulders, leaning on me a little. We get out of the hospital and Heero calls Quatre to come pick us up.

Heero leads us to a bench and leans heavily against me. I wrap my arms around his waist and rub soothing circles on his back.

"Are you okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah, just tired," he replies, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Tired?" I ask with a hint of a smile. "You've been sleeping for the better part of two days. How can you be tired?"

"Hey, I went through heart surgery. I have a right to be tired," he counters.

"Yeah, don't remind me," I murmur, kissing the top of his head.

Its a few more minutes before Quatre gets here. I help Heero stand and slide into the backseat with him.

"How are you doing, Heero?" Quatre asks.

"Okay. So how is the case?" Heero replies, changing the subject.

"Your attackers name is Jason Cain. He was fired from a Preventers branch for not following regulations and using unnecessary force, which is why he probably started targeting law enforcement. He died shortly after he was brought into surgery from a gun shot wound. His death was ruled self defense and the case has been closed," Quatre tells us.

I sigh in relief. Case closed. Our fight is over. We can rest easy now. I relax into Heero's side, content in the fact that this has all come to an end. Life can go back to normal now.

Quatre takes us right home. I help Heero up to my apartment, and even though it's only about seven thirty in the afternoon, we both head straight to bed. He moves to go to the guest bedroom, but I take his hand.

"If you want to, you can sleep with me in my room," I suggest, feeling my cheeks burn a little.

"I might just take you up on that offer," Heero smiled, placing a kiss on my cheek.

I lead him into my room and neither of us bother changing before climbing under the covers. I curl into Heero, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"I love you," he whispers in my ear.

My heart stops and my breath catches in my throat. That was the first time he had actually said he loved me. He told me many times in many different ways that he loves me, but that was his first time actually saying it. A smile tugs at the corners of my lips.

"Love you too, 'Ro," I smile, kissing his collar bone. "With all my heart."

* * *

**The end. Two of the worst words ever I think XD So? Was it okay? Too sappy? Too bloody? Too... uhm... *insert adjective here*? Well please review. Thanks to all of you who did review and thanks to all of you that read it. I had lots of fun writing this. I have another story finished, the ending just needs to be tweaked *cant write endings anymore it seems...* but I'll post it as soon as its done. It's... a little weird. Just kinda like one of those random plots that hits you upside the head and you're like wft? but its an amazing idea that needs to be written... know what I'm talking about? Me neither XD Anyway, thanks for reading, I'll be back soon... hopefully...**


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